THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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PHILADELPHIA 


1852 


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Stetflrifg  of 


GEORGIA. 


THE 


ISTORY  OF    GEORGI 


lmnit  tn  JJJB  f  nmi  €im. 


BY 

T.    S/ ARTHUR 

AND 

W.   H.   CARPENTER. 


PHILADELPHIA : 
LIPPINCOTT,  GRAMBO   &   CO. 

1852. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852,  by 

T.  S.  AKTHTJR  AICB  W.  H.  CARPENTER, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of 

Pennsylvania. 


8TERIOTTPED  BT  L.  JOHNSON  A!fD  CO. 

1'JIII, MiKI.l'IIH. 
PRINTED  BT  T.  K.  AND  P.  0.  COLLINS. 


PEEFACE. 


A  SERIES  of  State  histories,  which,  without  su- 
perseding the  bulkier  and  more  expensive  works 
of  the  same  character,  might  enter  household 
channels  from  which  the  others  would  be  ex- 
cluded by  their  cost  and  magnitude,  has  long 
been  wanted. 

For  some  time  past  we  have  been  making  pre- 
parations to  supply  this  want,  by  the  publication, 
in  separate  and  distinct  volumes,  of  the  history 
peculiar  to  each  State  in  the  Union. 

The  present  volume  on  Georgia  is  one  of  the 
series.  The  merit  we  claim  for  it — and  it  will 
equally  apply  to  the  others — is  point,  condensa- 
tion, and  historical  accuracy. 

Our  aim  is  to  make  the  vital  history  of  every 
State  a  portion  of  the  knowledge  of  its  people ; 
to  bring  down  the  narrative  to  the  present  day ; 

55G3C8 


6  PREFACE. 

and,  while  compressing  all  those  dry  details 
relating  to  legislative  action,  to  present  to  the 
general  reader  every  point  of  real  interest  in  a 
clear,  vivid,  and  picturesque  manner. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Introductory  observations — Georgia  discovered  by  Sir  "Walter 
Raleigh — His  voyage  along  the  coast — His  conference  with 
an  Indian  chief— Reasons  for  planting  the  colony — Jea- 
lousy of  the  Spaniards — A  regiment  of  blacks  formed  at 
St.  Augustine — Disagreement  concerning  the  English  and 
Spanish  boundaries — A  fort  built  by  the  Carolinians  on  the 
Alatamaha — A  charter  obtained  for  a  new  province — The 
proposed  settlers  to  be  persons  in  decayed  circumstances — 
Their  outfits  and  allotments — Stipulations  with  the  adven- 
turers— Negroes  to  be  prohibited — Private  contributions 
solicited — The  first  embarkation....  15 


CHAPTER  II. 

Arrival  of  the  colonists  in  Charleston — Oglethorpe  visits  the 
Savannah,  and  selects  Yamacraw  Bluff  as  the  site  for  a 
town — His  letter  to  the  trustees — Treats  with  the  Indians 
for  their  lands — Certain  lands  reserved  by  the  Indians — 
Government  assists  the  trustees  in  the  settlement — Glowing 
descriptions  of  the  new  colony 28 


CHAPTER  III. 

Oglethorpe  sails  for  England,  taking  with  him  several  Indian 
chiefs — -Speech  of  Tornochichi  to  the  king — The  king's  re- 
ply— The  Indians  return  to  Georgia — Tomochichi's  advice 
to  his  nation — Georgia  found  less  healthy  and  productive 
than  was  supposed — Condition  of  the  colonists  during  Ogle- 
thorpe's  absence — Justice  Causton — His  arbitrary  proceed- 
ings— The  regulations  of  trustees  found  inoperative — Go- 
vernment assists  the  colony — Immigration  of  Scotch  and 

Germans — John  Wesley  arrives  in  Georgia 37 

7 


CONTEXTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Oglethorpe  makes  a  treaty  with  the  Governor  of  East  Florida 
— Confers  with  a  commissioner  from  Havana — Embarks 
for  England — Revival  of  discontents  among  the  colonists — 
They  petition  the  trustees  for  fee-simple  titles,  and  the  use 
of  slaves — Counter-petitions  from  the  Germans  and  Scotch 
— The  true  condition  of  the  settlers  stated....  .  44 


CHAPTER  V. 

Difficulties  between  England  and  Spain  still  continue — Spa- 
nish  encroachments — England  declares  war — Agents  from 
St  Augustine  deceive  the  Creeks — Oglethorpe's  troubles — 
The  trustees  change  the  tenure  of  land  in  Georgia — Refuse 
to  admit  negroes  or  ardent  spirits — Spanish  perfidy — Con- 
spiracy to  murder  Oglethorpe — His  narrow  escape — The 
ringleaders  shot — Negro  insurrection  in  Carolina  quelled — 
Declaration  of  war — Oglethorpe  projects  an  expedition  to 
St.  Augustine,  which  fails — Conduct  of  his  enemies  in 
Georgia  and  Carolina — Condition  of  Georgia  in  1740 50 


CHAPTER  VL 

Rev.  George  Whitofield  arrives  in  Georgia — His  piety  and 
benevolence  —  His  Orphan-house — Whitefield's  character 
and  life — His  death .  59 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Description  of  Frederica — Its  fortifications — Zeal  and  energy 
of  Oglethorpe — Descent  of  the  Spaniards  upon  Georgia — 
Lukewarmnessof  the  Carolinians — Indians  and  Highlanders 
assist  Oglethorpe — Spanish  fleet  enter  the  harbour  and  land 
— The  Spaniards  defeated  in  three  engagements — Ogle- 
thorpe's successful  stratagem — The  Spanish  defeated  at 
Bloody  Marsh — The  enemy  retreats  from  Georgia — Spanish 
commander  tried  and  disgraced — The  provincial  governors 
congratulate  Oglethorpe — Charges  brought  against  him  by 
Colonel  Cooke — He  is  tried  and  acquitted — Cooke  disgraced 
— Civil  government  established 66 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Slavery  introduced — Daring  scheme  of  Thomas  Bosomworth 
— Malatche  made  Emperor  of  the  Creeks — Signs  a  deed  to 


CONTENTS.  9 


Mary  Bosomworth  for  the  Indian  reserved  lands — Mary  as- 
sumes the  title  of  empress — She  threatens  destruction  to 
the  colony — March  of  the  Creeks — The  president  prepares 
for  defence — The  Indians  reach  Savannah — Bosomworth 
and  Mary  seized  and  confined 81 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Fickleness  of  Malatche — His  speech — The  president's  reply 
— Bosomworth  and  Mary  threaten  vengeance  against  the 
colony — The  Indians  prevailed  on  to  return  home — Bosom- 
worth  and  Mary  released — Bosomworth  reasserts  his  claims 
by  a  suit  at  law — Decision  of  the  English  courts — Another 
suit  instituted .  90 


CHAPTER  X. 

Condition  of  the  province — Hostile  attitude  of  the  Cherokees 
— Trustees  resign  their  charter — Georgia  formed  into  a 
royal  government — Quarrel  between  the  Virginians  and 
Cherokees — Treachery  of  Occonostota — Captain  Coytrnore 
killed — Indian  hostages  massacred — The  savages  desolate 
the  frontiers — Colonel  Montgomery  sent  against  them — De- 
feats them  and  burns  all  the  lower  towns — Returns  to  Fort 
Prince  George — Enters  the  nation  again — Bloody  battle 
near  Etchoe  town — Returns  to  Fort  Prince  George — Siege 
and  capitulation  of  Fort  Loudon — Treachery  of  the  savages 
— Attakullakulla  rescues  Captain  Stewart — Hostilities  en- 
couraged by  the  French — Grant  marches  against  the  In- 
dians, and  defeats  them — Treaty  of  peace  concluded 98 

CHAPTER  XL 

Wright  appointed  governor — Prosperity  of  Georgia — Emigra- 
tion continues — Political  aspect  of  the  colony  overclouded 
— Dr.  Franklin  appointed  agent  in  England — The  legisla- 
ture define  their  rights  and  demand  redress — Corresponding 
committees  nominated — Georgia  charged  with  lukewarm- 
ness — Defence  of  the  same — Republican  spirit  manifested 
— Powder  magazine  in  Savannah  broken  open  and  its  con- 
tents secreted — Cannon  spiked  on  the  battery — Delegates 
appointed  to  the  Congress  at  Philadelphia — Munitions  of 
war  seized — Georgia  declares  her  independence — Governor 
Wright  imprisoned — Escapes  in  the  night — Troops  ordered 
to  be  raised — BUI  of  credit  issued — Nine  merchant  vessels 
burned  or  dismantled — Patriotism  of  the  citizens  of  Savan- 
nah.... ..  114 


10  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

Loyalists  take  refuge  in  Florida — Their  predatory  incursions — 
Treachery  of  the  McGirth's — Expedition  against  the  Chero- 
kees — Treaty  of  peace  with  that  nation — Unsuccessful  inva- 
sions of  Florida — Howe's  attempt — The  American  army  re- 
treats— Georgia  attacked  on  the  south — Skirmish  at  Bull- 
town  Swamp — Battle  at  Medway — Scriven  mortally  wounded 
— White  retreats  to  the  Ogechee — Sunbury  invested — Heroic 
reply  of  Colonel  Mclntosh — The  enemy  retreats 126 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Defensive  operations  of  General  Howe — Approach  of  the  Bri- 
tish fleet — Exposed  condition  of  Savannah — British  army 
land  at  Brewton's  Hill — Capture  of  Savannah — Provost 
takes  Sunbury — The  Rev.  Moses  Allen  drowned — Lincoln 
assumes  command  of  the  southern  army — Provost  unites 
with  Campbell — Proclamation  of  the  enemy — Unsuccessful 
conference  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners 134 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Position  of  Lincoln — His  force — Moultrie  defeats  Gardiner — 
Skirmishes  in  Burke  county — Campbell  occupies  Augusta 
— Pickens  and  Dooley  besiege  Hamilton  at  Carr's  Fort — 
Pursuit  of  Boyd — Battle  of  Kettle  Creek— Death  of  Boyd 
— British  outposts  surprised  and  captured. '.  147 

CHAPTER  XV.   ' 

Campbell  evacuates  Augusta — Lincoln  proposes  the  recovery 
of  Georgia — Ash  defeated  at  Brier  Creek — Force  of  the  Bri- 
tish in  Georgia — Campbell  leaves  for  England — Censure  of 
Ash  by  a  court  of  inquiry — Embarrassed  condition  of  Lin- 
coln— Shameful  treatment  of  the  American  prisoners — 
Lincoln  marches  into  Georgia — Provost  advances  towards 
Charleston — Battle  at  Stono  River — Cooper  defeats  a  Bri- 
tish detachment — Spencer  captures  a  British  cutter — Sir 
James  Wright  resumes  the  government  of  Georgia 158 

CHAPTER  XVL 

France  acknowledges  the  independence  of  the  United  States 
— D'Estaing  agrees  to  co-operate  with  Lincoln — British 
preparations  for  defence  —  French  forces  disembarked — 
D'Estaing  demands  the  surrender  of  Savannah — Truce 


CONTENTS.  11 


granted — Provost  reinforced — Siege  of  Savannah — Assault 
— Repulse  of  the  combined  armies — Jasper  wounded — 
Count  Pulaski  wounded — Force  of  the  allied  army — Force 
of  the  British — Siege  raised — Lincoln  retreats  to  Ebenezer.  174 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Heroic  instances  of  devotion  to  freedom — The  grenadiers  of 
Count  Dillon — Anecdote  of  Lieutenant  Lloyd — Sergeant 
Jasper— His  daring  bravery  at  Fort  Moultrie — His  roving 
commission — Captures  ten  men  near  Savannah — Presented 
with  a  sword  by  Governor  Rutleclge — Plants  the  colours  on 
Spring  Hill  redoubt — Is  mortally  wounded — Count  Pulaski 
— His  early  life — Confederates  with  others  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  Poland — Captures  Stanislaus  —  Seeks  refuge  in 
France — Appointed  a  brigadier-general  in  the  American 
service — His  death 185 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Sufferings  of  the  Georgians — Mrs.  Mclntosh — The  forged  let- 
ter— Skirmish  at  Ogechee  Ferry — Siege  and  surrender  of 
Charleston — Removal  of  the  Georgia  records — Governor 
Howley — Defection  of  Brigadier-general  Williamson — Mur- 
der of  Colonel  Dooley — Inhuman  treatment  of  Mrs.  McKay 
— Defeat  of  the  loyalists  by  Jones — Skirmish  at  Wafford's 
Iron-works — Clarke  defeats  the  British  at  Musgrove's  Mill.  193 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Cornwallis  violates  his  pledges  of  protection — Indignation  of 
the  people — Clarke  returns  to  Georgia — Siege  of  Augusta — 
Brown's  desperate  defence — Cruger  advances  to  reinforce 
Brown — Retreat  of  Clarke — Cruelty  of  Brown  towards  his 
prisoners — Savage  treatment  of  Mr.  Alexander  by  Colonel 
Grierson — Ferguson  ordered  to  intercept — Is  pursued  him- 
self—  Battle  of  King's  Mountain  —  Skirmishes  —  Clarke 
wounded....  209 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Skirmish  at  Seattle's  Mill — Sickness  of  Clarke — Death  of 
McCall — Georgians  harass  the  British — Skirmish  at  Wig- 
gins's  Hill — Death  of  Rannal  McKay  and  others — Augusta 
invested  by  Williamson — Clarke  assumes  command — Is  re- 
inforced by  Pickens  and  Lee — Fort  Grierson  abandoned — 
Colonel  Grierson  shot — Surrender  of  Brown — Mrs.  McKay's 


12  CONTENTS. 


interview  with  him — Fort  Ninety-Six  abandoned  by  Cruger 
— Wayne  advances  towards  Savannah — Defeats  three  hun- 
dred Creek  Indians — Pickens  marches  against  the  Chero- 
kees — Closing  of  the  war — Savannah  evacuated — Treaty 
of  peace  concluded  at  Paris 220 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Condition  of  the  colonies  at  the  close  of  the  war — Re-organi- 
zation of  the  Federal  government  proposed — Delegates  jneet 
at  Annapolis — Recommend  a  convention  to  meet  at  Phila- 
delphia— Convention  meets — Number  of  states  represented 
— Washington  elected  chairman — Rules  of  proceeding — 
The  first  questions  considered,  ratio  of  representation,  and 
rules  of  voting — Contest  between  the  larger  and  smaller 
states — Vote  of  Georgia — The  executive — A  counter  project 
— Grand  committee  of  conference — Proposition  of  Franklin 
— Rule  of  appointment — Committee  of  detail — New  diffi- 
culties— Compromises — Doubts  and  fears  respecting  the  con- 
stitution— Territorial  suit  between  Georgia  and  South  Caro- 
lina— Georgia  called  upon  to  cede  her  public  lands — Con- 
gress of  1790— Slavery  petitions 233 

CHAPTER  XXIL 

Recapitulation  of  the  various  treaties  made  between  Georgia 
and  the  Indians — Oglethorpe's  treaty — Treaty  of  Augusta — 
Florida  restored  to  the  Spaniards — Frontier  war  commenced 
— Treaty  of  Galphinton — Treaty  of  Shoulderbone  —  Con- 
tinuation of  Indian  hostiltiies — Washington  appoints  com- 
missioners to  treat  with  McGillivray — Romantic  history  of 
the  latter — Conference  at  Rock  Landing — Failure  of  nego- 
tiations— Colonel  Willet  sent  on  a  secret  mission — Inter- 
view with  McGillivray — Indian  council  at  Ositchy — Speech 
of  the  Hollowing  King — McGillivray  departs  for  New  York 
— His  reception — Treaty  of  New  York — Its  reception  by 
Georgia — Dissatisfaction  of  the  Creeks — Bowles  the  free- 
booter— McGillivray. in  Florida — Capture  of  Bowles 252 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

New  constitution  adopted — Synopsis — Indian  territory — Spe- 
culations in  wild  lands — Combined  Society — Yazoo  compa- 
nies— Sale  of  Yazoo  lands — Sale  annulled — Seat  of  govern- 
ment removed  to  Louisville — Education — University  of 
Georgia — Congress  passes  the  fugitive  slave  law — Liability 
of  states  to  individuals — Land  speculations — Fraudulent 
Bale  by  the  legislature  of  Yazoo  lands — Sale  ratified  by 


CONTENTS.  13 


Congress — Great  excitement  in  Georgia — Yazoo  land  sales 
repudiated — Kecords  burned — Difficulties  in  relation  to  the 
Yazoo  sales — Congress  appoints  commissioners  to  negotiato 
for  the  public  territory  of  Georgia — Compact  entered  into — 
Report  of  commissioners  concerning  the  Yazoo  claims — 
Randolph's  resolutions 268 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Ellicott  appointed  to  run  the  line  between  the  Creeks  and" 
Georgians — Obstacles — Assertion  of  Spanish  claims  to  the 
Indian  territory — Intrigues  of  McGillivray — Appointed  Su- 
perintendent-general of  Spain  in  the  Creek  nation — Irrita- 
tion of  the  Georgians — Their  determined  stand — Sickness 
of  McGillivray — His  death — Frontier  excesses — Georgia 
arms  against  the  Indians — Failure  of  the  invasion — Sea- 
grove  attends  a  council  of  the  Creek  chiefs — Friendly  dis- 
position of  the  Indians — Seagrove  attacked  in  his  house 
and  plundered — Arrival  of  Genet — His  extraordinary  course 
— Fits  out  privateers — Organizes  expeditions  from  Ken- 
tucky and  Georgia  against  New  Orleans  and  Florida — The 
Spanish  governor  remonstrates  —  Course  of  Governors 
Shelby  and  Matthews — Genet  recalled — Projects  of  Clarke 
— Settles  the  Oconee  lands — Ordered  off — Refuses — Is 
driven  off  by  the  militia  of  Georgia 282 

'CHAPTER  xxv. 

Council  of  Coleraine — Treaty  of  New  York  formally  renewed 
and  ratified — Discontent  of  Georgia — Treaty  with  Spain — 
Settlement  of  boundaries — Ellicott  appointed  commissioner 
to  run  the  boundary  between  Spain  and  the  United  States 
— Intrigues  of  Carondelet — His  reluctance  to  carrry  out  the 
conditions  of  the  treaty — Sends  an  emissary  to  Kentucky — 
Fort  Panmure  summoned  by  the  Americans — Increase  of 
American  force — Gayoso  evacuates  Fort  Panmure — Survey 
commenced — Interruptions  feared  from  the  Creeks — Council 
at  Miller's  Bluff — Governor  Folch,  of  Pensacola,  instigates 
the  Creeks  to  break  up  the  survey — Ellicott  proceeds  to  St. 
Marks — Joins  the  surveyors  on  the  St.  Mary's — Bowles  the 
freebooter — Refuses  to  enter  the  Spanish  service — Sent  to 
Manilla — Escapes — Reaches  Florida — Is  captured — Sent  to 
Havana — Dies  in  Moro  Castle 295 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Revision  of  the  Constitution  of  1789 — Cession  of  Louisiana  to 
France — Jefferson's  letter  to   Livingston — Negotiations — 
2 


14  CONTEXTS. 


Louisiana  purchased  by  the  United  States — Claiborne  ap- 
pointed governor — Takes  possession  of  New  Orleans — 
Flourishing  condition  of  Georgia — Milledgeville  laid  off — 
Becomes  the  seat  of  government — Foreign  relations  of  the 
United  States — Disputes  with  England — Embargo  laid  on 
French  ports — Berlin  and  Milan  decrees  of  Napoleon — 
Injuries  sustained  by  American  commerce — Declaration  of 
war  against  England — Dissatisfaction  among  the  Indians 
— Tecumseh — Confers  with  the  British  agents  at  Detroit — 
Departs  for  the  south — Stimulates  the  Seminoles  to  hostili- 
ties— Enters  the  Creek  nation — gains  many  proselytes — 
Returns  to  his  nation — Outrages  on  the  frontier — Civil  war 
among  the  Indians — Creek  war — War  with  Great  Britain — 
Peace  proclaimed — Difficulties  between  Georgia  and  the 
general  government 305 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  soil  of  Georgia — Tide-swamp  binds  —  Sea  Islands — 
Swamp  lands  of  the  Savannah,  Alatamaha,  Ogechee,  and 
the  Great  St.  Ilia — Character  of  the  soils  in  the  middle  re- 
gions of  the  state — Lands  in  south-western  Georgia — Chero- 
kee Georgia — The  gold  region — Railroads — Cotton  manu- 
factories— Fidelity  of  Georgia  to  the  Union — Sends  volun- 
teers to  Georgia — Mexico — Conclusion 323 


HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

Introductory  observations — Georgia  discovered  by  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh — His  voyage  along  the  coast — His  conference  with 
an  Indian  chief — Reasons  for  planting  the  colony — Jealousy 
of  the  Spaniards — A  regiment  of  blacks  formed  at  St.  Augus- 
tine— Disagreement  concerning  the  English  and  Spanish 
boundaries — A  fort  built  by  the  Carolinians  on  the  Alatamaha 
— A  charter  obtained  for  a  new  province — The  proposed 
settlers  to  be  persons  in  decayed  circumstances — Their  out- 
fits and  allotments — Stipulations  with  the  adventurers — • 
Negroes  to  be  prohibited — Private  contributions  solicited — 
The  first  embarkation. 

THAT  portion  of  the  United  States  of  North 
America  which  now  forms  the  State  of  Georgia 
was  originally  included  in  a  patent  granted  to 
South  Carolina ;  first,  as  a  proprietary  govern- 
ment, and  afterwards,  in  1719,  as  a  regal  one, 
bounded  by  the  thirty-first  and  thirty-sixth  de- 
grees of  north  latitude. 

For  the  first  discovery  of  this  portion  of  the 
North  American  continent,  we  are  indebted  to 
the  zeal  of  the  unfortunate  Sir  Walter  Raleigh. 

Being  deeply  interested  in  the  adventures  of 
his  half  brother,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  who  had 
obtained  a  patent  from  Queen  Elizabeth,  granting 
him  permission  to  possess  and  colonize  such  coun- 

15 


16  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


tries  as  lie  might  discover,  Sir  Walter  made  a 
successful  application  for  a  similar  grant,  and  on 
the  23d  of  April,  1584,  despatched  two  ships, 
under  the  command  of  Captains  Amadas  and 
Barlow,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  countries 
of  which  he  contemplated  the  future  settlement. 

To  avoid  the  error  of  Gilbert  in  shaping  his 
course  too  far  to  the  north,  Sir  Walter  took  the 
route  by  the  West  India  islands,  and  approached 
the  North  American  continent  at  the  Gulf  of 
Florida,  from  whence  he  followed  the  coast,  and 
touched  the  shore,  occasionally,  visiting  and  con- 
versing with  the  natives,  until  he  reached  Pamlico 
Sound  on  the  borders  of  North  Carolina.  From 
thence  he  proceeded  northward  along  the  coast, 
and  returned  to  England  in  September  of  the 
same  year. 

There  have  been  some  doubts  expressed  by  his- 
torians as  to  whether  Sir  Walter  ever  visited  North 
America  in  person.  But  when  James  Edward 
Oglethorpe,  the  principal  founder  of  the  colony 
of  Georgia,  came  over  from  England,  he  is  said 
to  have  brought  with  him  Sir  Walter  Raleigh's 
written  journal,  from  which  it  appeared,  by  the 
latitude  of  Savannah  and  by  the  traditions  of 
the  natives,  that  Raleigh  landed  at  the  mouth  of 
Savannah  River,  and  visited  the  bluff  on  which 
the  city  was  afterwards  built. 

According  to  the  statement  made  by  the 
Indians  to  Mr.  Oglethorpe,  Sir  Walter  was  the 


REASONS  FOR  PLANTING  THE  COLONY.         17 

first  Englishman  their  forefathers  ever  saw.  So 
favourable  was  the  impression  made  by  the  gal- 
lant knight  upon  this  rude  forest  people,  that 
their  chief  king,  before  he  died,  desired  to  be 
taken  to  a  high  mound  of  earth,  about  half  a 
mile  from  Savannah,  in  orde»  that  he  might  be 
buried  at  the  spot  where  he  talked  with  the  great 
and  good  white  stranger. 

The  policy  of  planting  a  new  colony  south  of 
Savannah  River  was  an  object  of  great  import- 
ance to  South  Carolina,  in  consequence  of  the 
differences  existing  between  England  and  Spain 
in  regard  to  the  respective  boundaries  of  their 
settlements  in  North  and  South  America. 

The  rapid  increase  of  population  in  North 
America,  and  its  growing  commercial  import- 
ance, had  long  been  viewed  by  Spain  with  a 
jealous  eye.  Already  occupying,  in  right  of  dis- 
covery and  possession,  the  territory  of  Florida ; 
the  Spanish  government  sought,  by  garrisoning 
the  coast  with  troops,  to  command  not  only  the 
Indian  trade  brought  down  the  Mississippi,  but 
also  the  trade  of  those  large  rivers  to  the  north 
of  it.  These  encroachments  could  not  be  made 
without  seriously  endangering  the  province  of 
South  Carolina,  which  at  that  time  was  nume- 
rously stocked  with  negroes,  brought  from  Africa 
by  British  merchants,  and  sold  to  the  rice-plant- 
ers, whose  wealth  consisted  almost  entirely  of 


18  HISTORY    OF   GEORGIA. 


It  being  the  interest  of  Spain  to  throw  every 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  English  planters,  the 
most  favourable  means  of  doing  so  seemed  that 
of  enticing  the  negroes  from  the  service  of  their 
masters,  by  pointing  out  to  them  the  happiness 
of  freedom,  and  promising  them  all  the  privi- 
leges enjoyed  by  the  subjects  of  Spain. 

To  more  effectually  accomplish  this  sinister 
purpose,  a  black  regiment  was  formed  at  St. 
Augustine,  consisting  entirely  of  runaway  slaves 
from  Carolina;  and  though  there  was  no  war 
existing  at  that  time  between  the  rival  nations, 
all  the  remonstrances  addressed  to  the  Spanish 
governor  were  disregarded. 

One  cause  of  this  vexatious  state  of  things 
was  the  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  correct 
boundaries  between  the  British  provinces  and 
Florida.  These  had  never  been  settled  by  any 
public  agreement,  neither  were  they  marked  or 
well  understood.  To  prevent  negroes  escaping 
from  the  Carolinas  to  St.  Augustine,  a  fort  was 
built  on  the  Alatamaha  river,  and  garrisoned. 
This  gave  offence  to  the  Spanish  governor,  who 
complained  of  it  to  the  court  of  Madrid  as  an 
encroachment  on  the  dominions  of  his  royal 
master.  The  Spanish  ambassador  at  London 
was  immediately  authorized  to  demand  that  the 
troops  should  be  removed  and  the  fort  de- 
molished. 

It  was  thereupon  agreed,  that  the  governors  of 


PETITION  FOR  A  NEAV  PROVINCE.  19 


the  respective  nations  in  America  should  meet  in 
an  amicable  manner,  and  adjust  the  boundaries 
between  the  British  and  Spanish  dominions  in 
that  quarter. 

Commissioners  "were  accordingly  appointed  for 
that  purpose.  They  met  at  Charleston,  but  the 
negotiation  ended  unsatisfactorily  to  both  parties. 
The  fort  was  soon  after  burned  down,  and  the 
southern  frontier  of  South  Carolina  again  left 
exposed  and  defenceless. 

Finding  that  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Florida 
still  continued  their  acts  of  aggression,  the  people 
of  South  Carolina,  alarmed  at  the  danger  to 
which  they  were  continually  exposed,  endeavoured 
to  protect  their  property  in  future  by  placing  a 
more  efficient  barrier  between  themselves  and 
their  imperious  neighbours  in  Florida. 

With  these  views,  they  advocated  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  colony  between  the  Savannah  and 
Alatamaha  rivers ;  and  encouraged  a  number  of 
gentlemen,  of  wealth  and  station  in  England,  to 
embark  in  the  humane  design  of  sending  over  a 
number  of  poor  people,  who  had  no  means  of 
supporting  themselves  and  families  in  the  mother 
country. 

Accordingly,  twenty-one  persons  petitioned 
the  throne ;  and,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1732,  ob- 
tained a  charter  for  a  separate  and  distinct  pro- 
vince from  Carolina,  between  the  Savannah  and 
Alatamaha  rivers,  by  the  name  of  Georgia,  in 


20  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

honour  of  the  king  by  whom  the  charter  was 
granted. 

Subsequently,  the  limits  of  Georgia  were  ex- 
tended to  the  Chattahoochee  river,  which  now 
forms  its  western  boundary. 

In  pursuance  of  this  charter,  the  trustees,  with 
Lord  Purcival  at  their  head,  met  in  London  about 
the  middle  of  July,  for  the  purpose  of  fixing 
upon  some  fit  person  to  superintend  the  settle- 
ment of  the  colony,  and  also  to  establish  rules 
for  its  government. 

In  order  to  carry  out  the  intents  and  purposes 
for  which  the  charter  was  obtained,  it  was  finally 
resolved,  that  none  were  to  have  the  benefit  of 
the  charity  fund,  for  their  transportation  and  sub- 
sequent subsistence,  except  such  as  were  in  de- 
cayed circumstances,  and  thereby  disabled  from 
any  profitable  business  in  England ;  and  such 
as,  having  large  families,  were  in  a  measure 
dependent  upon  their  respective  parishes.  No 
drunken  or  vicious  persons  were  to  be  received. 

The  trustees  consented  to  give  to  such  persons 
as  they  sent  upon  charity — to  every  grown  male, 
a  watch-coat,  musket  and  bayonet,  hatchet, 
hammer,  hand-saw,  sod-shovel  or  spade,  broad- 
hoe,  narrow-hoe,  gimlet,  and  drawing-knife;  a 
public  grindstone  to  each  ward  or  village ;  and 
to  each  man,  an  iron-pot,  pot-hooks,  and  frying- 
pan. 

For  his  maintenance  for  one  year,  they  allowed 


STIPULATIONS.  21 


him  three  hundred  pounds  of  beef  or  pork,  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  pounds  of  rice,  one  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  pounds  of  peas,  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  pounds  of  flour,  forty-four  gallons 
of  strong  beer,  sixty-four  quarts  of  molasses, 
eighteen  pounds  of  cheese,  nine  pounds  of  butter, 
nine  ounces  of  spice,  nine  pounds  of  sugar,  five 
gallons  of  vinegar,  thirty  pounds  of  salt,  twelve 
quarts  of  lamp  oil,  and  twelve  pounds  of  soap. 
The  same  allowances,  with  the  exception  of  beer, 
were  extended  to  each  of  the  mothers,  wives, 
other  females,  and  children  over  twelve  years  of 
age ;  half  allowance  for  children  of  seven  and 
under  twelve  ;  and  one-third  for  those  from  two 
to  seven;  passage  paid,  and  sea  stores  allowed 
extra. 

Before  embarkation,  the  emigrants  were  re- 
quired to  enter  into  the  following  covenants : 

That  they  would  repair  on  board  such  ship  as 
should  be  provided  for  them ;  demean  them- 
selves well  during  the  voyage,  and  go  to  such 
place  in  the  province  of  Georgia  as  should  be 
designated,  and  then  obey  such  orders  as  should 
be  given  them  for  establishing  and  governing  the 
said  colony. 

That  for  the  first  twelve  months  after  landing 
in  the  province,  they  would  labour  in  clearing 
their  lands,  making  habitations  and  necessary 
defences,  and  on  all  other  works  for  the  common 
good  and  public  benefit  of  the  said  province,  ac- 


22  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

cording  to  such  plans  and  directions  as  should 
be  given  them. 

That  after  the  expiration  of  the  said  twelve 
months,  they  would,  during  the  next  two  succeed- 
ing years,  inhabit  the  province  of  Georgia,  and 
cultivate  the  lands  allotted  to  them  and  their 
male  heirs,  according  to  their  best  skill  and 
ability. 

All  such  persons  were  to  be  settled  in  the 
same  colony,  either  in  new  towns  or  villages. 
Those  in  the  towns  were  to  have,  each  of  them, 
;i  lot  sixty  feet  front  by  ninety  deep,  whereon 
they  were  to  build  a  house,  and  as  much  land  in 
the  adjoining  country  as  would,  in  the  whole, 
make  up  fifty  acres.  Those  in  the  villages  were 
each  of  them  to  have  a  lot  of  fifty  acres,  upon 
which  a  house  was  to  be  built ;  and  a  rent-charge 
was  placed  alike  upon  all,  of  two  shillings  and 
sixpence  sterling  upon  every  fifty-acre  lot,  for 
the  support  of  the  colony. 

By  another  provision,  the  trustees  allowed 
every  freeholder  to  take  over  with  him  one  male 
servant,  or  apprentice,  of  the  age  of  eighteen 
and  upwards,  to  be  bound  for  no  less  than  four 
years.  By  way  of  loan  to  such  freeholder,  they 
agreed  to  advance  the  charges  of  passage  for 
such  servant  or  apprentice,  and  to  furnish  him 
with  the  following  clothing  and  provisions : 

A  pallet,  bolster,  blanket,  a  frock  and  trou- 
sers of  linsey-woolsey,  a  shirt,  a  frock  and  trou- 


OBJECT   OF   THE  TRUSTEES.  23 


sers  of  osnaburg,  a  pair  of  English  shoes,  two 
pairs  of  colonial  shoes,  two  hundred  pounds  of 
meat,  three  hundred  and  forty-two  pounds  of  rice, 
peas,  or  Indian  corn.  The  expenses  of  passage, 
clothing,  and  provision,  to  be  reimbursed  to  the 
trustees  by  the  master,  within  the  third  year 
from  their  embarkation  from  England. 

To  each  man-servant  and  his  male  heirs,  upon 
a  certificate  of  good  behaviour  from  his  master, 
were  to  be  granted,  after  the  expiration  of  the 
term  of  service,  twenty  acres  of  land,  under  the 
same  rents  and  agreements  as  had  been  granted 
to  any  other  man-servant  in  like  circumstances. 

The  inhabitants  of  Georgia  were  to  be.  con-     , 
sidered  as  soldiers  and  planters,  and  provided  v 
with  arms  for  defence,  as  well  as  tools  for  culti- 
vation ;  occasional  military  exercise  being  held 
as  requisite  to  the  safety  and  prosperity  of  the 
colony,  as  the  more  peaceful  labours  of  agricul- 
ture. 

Towns  were  to  be  laid  out  for  settlement,  and 
lands  allotted  to  each  colonist  as  near  as  conve- 
nient ;  so  that  the  towns,  which  were  to  be  re- 
garded in  the  nature  of  garrisons,  might  be 
easily  reached,  and  each  man  arrive  at  his  post 
of  defence  at  a  short  notice  in  case  of  emergency. 

As  the  object  of  the  trustees — having  in  view 
the  protection  of  the  Carolinas — was  to  found  a 
province  partly  military  and  partly  agricultural, 
and  as  the  military  strength  was  particularly  to 


24  HISTOEY   OF   GEORGIA. 

be  taken  care  of,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to 
establish  such  tenures  of  lands  as  might  most 
effectually  preserve  the  number  of  planters,  or 
soldiers,  equal  to  the  number  of  lots  of  land 
within  a  narrow  compass ;  therefore,  each  lot  of 
land  was  to  be  considered  as  a  military  fief,  and 
to  contain  no  more  than  was  deemed  sufficient 
for  the  support  of  the  planter  and  his  family. 
Fifty  acres  were  judged  sufficient,  and  provision 
was  made  to  prevent  any  increase  or  diminution 
of  this  quantity,  lest,  on  the  one  hand,  the  means 
of  defence  should  be  weakened,  or,  on  the  other, 
subsistence  found  to  be  too  scanty. 

In  the  infancy  of  the  colony,  the  lands  granted 
were  to  descend  to  male  heirs  only,  as  most  likely 
to  answer  the  purposes  of  the  donors ;  and,  in 
consideration  of  the  service  expected  of  the  colo- 
nists, they  were  to  be  maintained  at  the  public 
expense  during  their  voyage,  and  their  passage 
paid  ;  and  were  to  be  provided  (for  the  space  of 
one  year)  with  arms,  implements,  seeds,  and 
other  necessaries,  from  the  general  store. 

To  others,  who  should  come  over  at  their  own 
charges,  particular  grants  were  agreed  upon  under 
the  same  tenure,  and  on  the  condition  that  they 
should  settle  in  Georgia  within  twelve  months 
from  the  date  of  their  grants,  bringing  with  them 
one  man-servant  for  every  fifty  acres;  should 
inhabit  there  for  three  years ;  clear  and  cultivate 
within  the  first  ten  years  one-fifth  of  the  land  so 


SLAVES   PROHIBITED.  25 

granted ;  within  the  next  ten  years,  clear  and 
cultivate  three-fifths  more,  and  plant  one  thou- 
sand white  mulberry  trees  upon  every  hundred 
acres  cleared — the  raising  of  raw  silk  being 
one  of  the  principal  objects  contemplated  by 
the  founders  of  the  colony.  One  particular 
restriction  was  placed  upon  all  the  colonists 
alike,  and  this  was,  that  no  negro  should  be 
employed  or  harboured  within  the  limits  of  Geor- 
gia, on  any  pretence  whatever,  unless  by  special 
leave  of  the  trustees.  . 

The  object  of  this  prohibition  was  to  present  a 
military  frontier  to  South  Carolina  consisting  of 
Europeans  only ;  to  shield  the  slave  population 
of  the  latter  State  from  the  artifices  and  allure- 
ments held  out  by  the  Spaniards,  and  to  shut  out 
from  among  the  colonists  of  Georgia  all  those  in- 
centives  to  idleness  which  the  introduction  of  a 
slave  population  is  so  apt  to  favour.  It  was 
further  argued,  that  the  introduction  of  negroes 
into  Georgia  would  facilitate  the  desertion  of  the 
Carolina  slaves,  and  instead  of  proving  a  frontier, 
would  promote  the  evil  which  was  intended  to  be 
checked,  and  give  additional  strength  to  the 
Spanish  force  at  St.  Augustine.  In  the  execution 
of  this  laudable  plan,  the  trustees,  after  hav- 
ing themselves  contributed  largely  towards  the 
scheme,  undertook  to  solicit  donations  from  others, 
and  to  apply  the  money  towards  clothing,  arming, 
purchasing  implements  for  cultivation,  and  trans- 


26  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 

porting  such  poor  people  as  should  consent  to  go 
over  and  begin  a  settlement. 

To  prevent  any  misapplication  or  abuse  of  the 
funds  thus  collected,  they  agreed  to  deposit  the 
money  in  the  Bank  of  England,  to  keep  a  correct 
list  of  the  names  of  the  donors,  and  the  sum  re- 
ceived from  each ;  and  bound  themselves  and 
their  successors  in  office,  to  lay  an  annual  state- 
ment of  the  moneys  contributed  and  expended 
before  the  lord  chancellor,  the  lords  chief  justices 
of  the  King's  Bench  and  Common  Pleas,  the  mas- 
ter of  the  rolls,  and  the  lord  chief  baron  of  the 
Exchequer. 

When  this  scheme  of  settlement  was  made  pub- 
lic, the  philanthropic  motives  of  the  trustees  were 
warmly  applauded  in  all  parts  of  Great  Britain. 
Perfectly  disinterested  themselves,  neither  de- 
siring nor  retaining  any  source  of  personal  ag- 
grandizement, but  contented  with  the  simple 
honour  of  benefiting  the  poorer  classes  at  home 
by  gratuitously  providing  them  with  the  means 
of  procuring  a  comfortable  subsistence  in  a  region 
where  industry  was  sure  to  meet  with  a  successful 
reward,  the  benevolent  founders  of  the  colony  of 
Georgia  are  entitled  to  the  high  honour  of  having 
promoted  a  design  at  once  generous  and  praise- 
worthy. They  voluntarily  offered  their  money, 
labour,  and  time,  with  the  hope  of  alleviating  the 
distressed  condition  of  others ;  leaving  themselves 
no  other  reward  than  the  gratification  arising 


SAILING   OF  THE   COLONISTS.  27 

from  having  performed  a  humane  and  virtuous 
action. 

When  the  trustees,  by  their  own  contributions, 
aided  by  donations  from  several  private  persons, 
had  accumulated  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to 
commence  the  intended  settlement,  it  was  resolved 
to  send  over  one  hundred  and  fourteen  persons, 
men,  women,  and  children,  being  such  as  were  in 
decayed  circumstances,  and  thereby  disabled  from 
following  any  business  in  England. 

James  Edward  Oglethorpe,  esquire,  one  of  the 
trustees,  consented  to  accompany  them  at  his 
own  expense,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  the  set- 
tlement. The  trustees  prepared  forms  of  govern- 
ment agreeably  to  the  powers  given  them.  These 
preliminaries  being  arranged,  on  November  16, 
1732,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shubert,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  a  man  from  Piedmont, 
engaged  by  the  trustees  to^  instruct  the  people  in 
the  art  of  winding  silk,  and  one  hundred  and  four- 
teen persons,  embarked  on  board  the  ship  Anne, 
Captain  Thomas,  with  every  thing  furnished  them 
by  the  trustees,  and  nothing  to  risk  but  what 
might  arise  from  casualties  or  a  cnange  of  climate. 
Mr.  Oglethorpe  was  clothed  with  power  to  exercise 
the  functions  of  a  governor  over  the  new  colony. 


28  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  H. 

Arrival  of  the  colonists  in  Charleston — Oglethorpe  visits  the 
Savannah,  and  selects  Yamacraw  Bluff  as  the  site  for  a  town 
— His  letter  to  the  trustees — Treats  with  the  Indians  for  their 
lands — Certain  lands  reserved  by  the  Indians — Government 
assists  the  trustees  in  the  settlement — Glowing  descriptions 
of  the  new  colony. 

ON  the  13th  of  January,  1733,  the  ship  Anne 
arrived  safely  in  the  harbour  of  Charleston,  with 
the  loss  only  of  two  children  at  sea. 

After  being  hospitably  entertained  by  the  go- 
vernor and  council,  Oglethorpe  and  his  people, 
well  furnished  with  provisions  and  stock  by  gene- 
rous Carolinians,  set  sail  for  the  new  province  of 
Georgia. 

The  authorities  of  Charleston  furnished  vessels 
to  carry  the  additional  supplies  to  the  Savannah 
River,  and  also  ordered  some  scout-boats,  with  a 
body  of  rangers,  to  accompany  the  adventurers, 
and  protect  them  from  any  assault  by  the  Indians, 
while  the  former  were  building  houses  and  forti- 
fications to  defend  themselves.  They  reached 
Beaufort  on  the  20th  of  January.  Here  Ogle- 
thorpe left  his  colonists,  while  he,  accompanied 
by  two  experienced  men  from  Carolina,  explored 
the  country  in  search  of  a  suitable  place  for  his 
intended  settlement.  As  soon  as  the  governor 


LETTER   TO   THE   TRUSTEES.  29 


had  selected  an  advantageous  site,  he  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  the  trustees  in  London : 

"  Camp,  near  Savannah,  Feb.  10,  1733. 

"  GENTLEMEN  : — I  gave  you  an  account  in  my 
last  of  our  arrival  in  Charleston.  The  governor 
and  assembly  have  given  us  all  possible  en- 
couragement. Our  people  arrived  at  Beaufort 
on  the  20th  of  January,  where  I  lodged  them  in 
some  new  barracks  built  for  the  soldiers,  whilst  I 
went  myself  to  view  the  Savannah  River ;  I  fixed 
upon  a  healthy  situation  about  ten  miles  from  the 
sea.  The  river  here  forms  a  half-moon,  along 
the  south  side  of  which  the  banks  are  about  forty 
feet  high,  and  on  the  top  a  flat,  which  they  call 
a  bluff.  The  plain  high  ground  extends  into  the 
country  about  six  miles,  and  along  the  river-side 
about  a  mile.  Ships  that  draw  twelve  feet  water 
can  ride  within  ten  yards  of  the  bank. 

"  Upon  the  river's  side,  in  the  centre  of  this 
plain,  I  have  laid  out  the  town,  opposite  to  which 
is  an  island  of  very  rich  pasturage,  which  I  think 
should  be  kept  for  the  trustees'  cattle.  The  river 
is  pretty  wide,  the  water  fresh,  and  from  the  key 
of  the  town  you  see  its  whole  course  to  the  sea, 
with  the  island  of  Tybee,  which  forms  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  For  about  six  miles  up  into  the 
country  the  landscape  is  very  agreeable,  the 
stream  being  wide,  and  bordered  with  high  woods 
on  both  sides.  * 

"  The  whole  people  arrived  here  on  the  first 
3* 


30  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

of  February :  at  night  their  tents  were  got  up. 
Till  the  10th  we  were  taken  up  in  unloading  and 
making  a  crane,  which  I  could  not  get  finished, 
so  took  off  the  hands  and  set  some  to  the  fortifi- 
cations, and  began  to  fell  the  woods.  I  have 
marked  out  the  town  and  common :  half  of  the 
former  is  already  cleared,  and  the  first  house  was 
begun  yesterday  in  the  afternoon." 

On  the  20th  of  the  same  month,  writing  again 
to  the  trustees,  he  gives  a  further  description  of 
the  site  he  had  chosen,  and  his  reasons  for  select- 
ing it. 

"I  chose  the  situation  for  the  town  upon  a 
high  ground,  forty  feet  perpendicular,  above  high- 
water  mark ;  the  soil,  dry  and  sandy ;  the  water 
of  the  river  fresh,  and  springs  coming  out  of  the 
hill.  I  pitched  upon  this  place  not  only  for  the 
pleasantness  of  the  situation,  but  because,  from 
the  above-mentioned  and  other  signs,  I  judged  it 
healthy ;  for  it  is  sheltered  from  the  western  and 
southern  winds,  (the  worst  in  this  country,)  by 
vast  woods  of  pine  trees,  many  of  which  are  a 
hundred,  and  few  under  seventy  feet  high.  The 
last  and  fullest  conviction  of  the  healthiness  of 
this  place  was,  that  an  Indian  nation  who  knew 
the  nature  of  the  country  chose  it  for  their 
situation." 

Soon  after  this,  a  small  fort  was  erected  on 
the  bank  of  Savannah  River,  as  a*place  of  refuge, 
and  some  guns  mounted  on  it  for  the  defence  of 


TREATY   WITH   THE   INDIANS.  31 


the  colony.  The  people  were  then  employed  in 
felling  trees  and  building  huts,  while  Oglethorpe 
encouraged  and  animated  them  by  his  presence 
and  example.  He  formed  them  into  a  company 
of  militia,  appointed  officers,  and  furnished  them 
with  arms  and  ammunition. 

To  awe  the  Indians,  he  frequently  exercised 
the  colonists  in  their  presence  ;  and  as  his  people 
had  been  disciplined  previously  by  the  sergeants 
of  the  guards  in  London,  they  exhibited,  under 
review,  but  little  inferiority  to  the  regular 
troops. 

As  soon  as  his  little  colony  was  comfortably 
sheltered  and  protected,  the  next  object  of  Ogle- 
thorpe ^as  to  treat  with  the  Indians  for  a  portion 
of  their  lands. 

The  principal  tribes  occupying  the  territory 
he  desired  to  obtain,  were  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Creeks.  The  former  were  numerous  and  strong ; 
the  latter,  reduced  by  war  and  disease,  but  a 
small  band ;  though  both  tribes  together  were 
computed  at  about  twenty-five  thousand.  As 
these  Indians  laid  claim  to  the  lands  lying  south- 
west of  Savannah  River,  it  became  an  object  of 
the  highest  consequence  to  secure  their  friendship. 

There  was  only  one  small  tribe  at  Yamacraw, 
the  Indian  name  of  the  bluff  which  Oglethorpe 
had  selected  as  the  site  of  his  town.  It  was, 
therefore,  thought  expedient  to  open  a  communi- 
cation with  the  Upper  Creeks  also,  as  more  nu- 


HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


merous,  and  prevail  upon  them  to  join  in  the 
treaty. 

To  accomplish  this  purpose,  Oglethorpe  selected 
a  half-breed  Indian  woman  named  Mary,  who  had 
married  a  trader  from  Carolina  by  the  name  of 
Musgrove,  and  who  could  speak  both  the  English 
and  Creek  languages.  Perceiving  that  she  had 
some  influence  among  the  Indians,  and  might  be 
made  serviceable  to  his  views,  he  first  purchased 
her  friendship  with  presents,  and  then  allowed 
her  a  salary  of  one  hundred  pounds  a  year. 

By  her  assistance  he  summoned  the  chief  men 
of  the  Creeks  to  meet  him  at  Savannah,  and 
about  fifty  of  them  attended.  With  these  Ogle- 
thorpe concluded  a  treaty ;  and  after  he  had  dis- 
tributed some  presents,  according  to  the  Indian 
custom  on  such  occasions,  Tomochichi,  one  of  the 
principal  orators  among  the  Creeks,  rose  and  ad- 
dressed him  as  follows : 

"  Here  is  a  little  present.  I  give  you  a  buf- 
falo's skin,  adorned  on  the  inside  with  the  head 
and  feathers  of  an  eagle,  which  I  desire  you  to 
accept,  because  the  eagle  is  an  emblem  of  speed, 
and  the  biifialo  of  strength.  The  English  are 
swift  as  the  bird,  and  strong  as  the  beast ;  since, 
like  the  former,  they  flew  over  vast  seas  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth ;  and  like  the  latter, 
they  are  so  strong  that  nothing  can  withstand 
them.  The  feathers  of  the  eagle  are  soft,  and 
signify  love;  the  buffalo's  skin  is  warm,  and 


INDIANS   RESERVE   LAND.  33 

signifies  protection ;  therefore  I  hope  the  Eng- 
lish will  love  and  protect  their  little  families." 

The  treaty — subject  to  the  ratification  of  the 
trustees  in  England — was  concluded  to  the  satis- 
faction of  both  parties;  and  as  the  colonists 
appeared  contented  with  their  condition,  every 
thing  seemed  to  promise  a  long  course  of  pros- 
perity. 

By  this  treaty,  a  full  and  complete  right  and 
title  were  granted  the  trustees  for  all  the  lands 
lying  between  the  Savannah  and  Alatamaha 
Rivers,  extending  west  to  the  extremity  of  the 
tide-water,  and  including  all  the  islands  on  the 
coast  from  Tybee  to  St.  Simons. 

By  a  short-sighted  policy,  which  was  after- 
wards a  source  of  great  danger  and  annoyance, 
the  Indians  were  allowed  to  reserve  for  them- 
selves, within  the  limits  of  this  tract,  the  islands 
of  Sapeloe  and  St.  Catharine's,  for  the  purpose 
of  hunting,  bathing,  and  fishing ;  and  also  the 
tract  of  land  lying  between  Pipe-maker's  Bluff 
and  Pally-chuckola  Creek,  above  the  new  town  of 
Savannah;  these  lands  being  retained  by  the 
Indians  for  an  encampment,  whenever  they  came 
to  visit  their  beloved  friends  at  Savannah. 

The  consequences  arising  from  the  admission 
of  this  unfortunate  stipulation  will  be  found  nar- 
rated in  a  subsequent  portion  of  this  history. 

The  annual  statement  made  by  the  trustees  to 
the  lord  chancellor,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1734, 


34  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

showed  that  there  had  then  heen  sent  to  Georgia, 
at  the  expense  of  the  corporation,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  persons,  of  whom  sixty-one  were  males 
capable  of  bearing  arms;  and  that  the  money 
received  from  private  contributions  amounted  to 
nearly  four  thousand  pounds,  of  which  two  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  fifty- four  pounds  had  been 
already  expended  for  the  purpose  of  settlement. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  colonists  had  been  kept 
busily  employed.  A  public  garden  was  laid  off, 
as  a  nursery,  to  the  eastward  of  the  town,  and 
planted  with  mulberry  trees,  vines,  oranges,  and 
olives,  for  the  supply  of  the  people.  A  beacon 
was  erected  on  Ty bee  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  Fort  Argyle  was  built  at  the  narrows  of 
the  Ogechee,  to  protect  the  settlers  against  an 
inland  invasion  from  St.  Augustine,  and  a  stock- 
ade fort  built  at  Skidaway  Narrows. 

To  aid  the  purposes  of  the  trustees  in  rapidly 
strengthening  their  new  colony,  the  British  go- 
vernment sold  some  lands  at  St.  Christopher,  and 
applied  ten  thousand  pounds  to  encourage  the 
settlement. 

In  September  and  October,  1733,  the  trustees 
sent  over  two  embarkations,  amounting  to  three 
hundred  and  forty-one  persons,  principally  per- 
secuted Protestants  from  Saltzburg,  in  Germany. 
These  settled  further  up  the  Savannah,  at  a 
place  they  called  Ebenezer,  and  were  soon  fol- 
lowed thither  by  many  others  of  their  countrymen. 


GLOWING  ACCOUNTS.  35 


During  this  year,  the  most  glowing  accounts 
of  the  climate  of  Georgia,  and  the  prosperous 
condition  of  the  colonists,  were  sent  over  by 
some  of  the  immigrants  to  their  friends  in  Eng- 
land. About  the  same  time,  a  pamphlet  also 
appeared  in  London,  entitled,  "A  new  and  ac- 
curate Account  of  the  Provinces  of  Carolina  and 
Georgia,"  in  which,  after  a  high  encomium  of  the 
trustees  of  the  latter,  the  writer  goes  on  to  say : 

"  The  air  of  Georgia  is  healthy,  being  always 
serene  and  pleasant,  never  subject  to  excessive 
heat  or  cold,  or  sudden  changes  of  weather.  The 
winter  is  regular  and  short,  and  the  summer 
cooled  by  refreshing  breezes.  It  neither  feels 
the  cutting  northwest  wind  the  Virginians  com- 
plain of,  nor  the  intense  heats  of  Spain,  Barbary, 
Italy,  and  Egypt. 

"  The  soil  will  produce  any  thing  with  very 
little  culture  :  all  sorts  of  corn  yield  an  amazing 
increase ;  one  hundred  fold  is  the  common  esti- 
mate, though  the  husbandry  is  so  slight,  that  they 
can  only  be  said  to  scratch  the  earth  and  cover 
the  seed.  All  the  best  cattle  and  fowl  are  multi- 
plied without  number,  and  therefore  without  price. 

"Vines  are  natives  here;  the  woods  near 
Savannah  are  easily  cleared ;  many  of  them 
have  no  underwood,  and  the  trees  do  not  stand, 
generally,  thick  upon  the  ground,  but  at  con- 
siderable distances  asunder. 

"  When  you  fall  timber  to  make  tar,  or  for 


36  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


any  other  use,  the  roots  will  rot  in  four  or  five 
years,  and  in  the  mean  time  you  may  pasture  the 
ground.  If  you  would  only  destroy  the  timber, 
it  is  done  by  a  few  strokes  of  an  axe,  surround- 
ing each  tree  a  little  above  the  root.  In  a  year 
or  two  the  timber  rots,  and  a  brisk  gust  of  wind 
fells  many  acres  for  you  in  an  hour ;  of  which 
you  may  make  a  bright  bonfire. 

"  Such  an  air  and  soil  can  only  be  described 
by  a  poetical  pen,  because  there  is  no  danger  of 
exceeding  the  truth  ;  therefore  take  Waller's  de- 
scription of  an  island  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ca- 
rolina, to  give  you  an  idea  of  this  happy  climate. 

"  The  spring,  which  but  salutes  us  here, 
Inhabits  there,  and  courts  them  all  the  year ! 
Ripe  fruits  and  blossoms  on  the  same  tree  live ; 
At  once  they  promise  what  at  once  they  give. 
So  sweet  the  air,  so  moderate  the  clime, 
None  sickly  lives,  or  dies  before  his  time. 
Heaven  sure  has  kept  this  spot  of  earth  uncursed, 
To  show  how  all  things  were  created  first." 

Speaking  of  the  Indians,  the  author  adds — 
"  They  bring  many  a  mile  the  whole  of  a  deer's 
flesh,  which  they  sell  to  the  people  who  live  in 
the  country,  for  the  value  of  sixpence  sterling  ; 
and  a  wild  turkey,  of  forty  pounds  weight,  for 
the  value  of  twopence." 

This  florid  picture  excited  a  wonderful  commo- 
tion among  the  peasantry  of  England.  The  trus- 
tees, however,  represented  that  the  description  of 
the  country  was  greatly  exaggerated ;  and  thus 
allayed  the  inflamed  fancies  of  the  people. 


TOMOCHICHI.  37 


CHAPTER  III. 

Oglethorpe  sails  for  England,  taking  with  him  several  Indian 
chiefs — Speech  of  Tomochichi  to  the  king — The  king's  reply 
• — The  Indians  return  to  Georgia — Tomochichi's  advice  to 
his  nation — Georgia  found  less  healthy  and  productive  than 
was  supposed — Condition  of  the  colonists  during  Ogle- 
thorpe's  absence — Justice  Causton — His  arbitrary  proceed- 
ings— The  regulations  of  trustees  found  inoperative — Go- 
vernment assists  the  colony — Immigration  of  Scotch  and 
Germans — John  Wesley  arrives  in  Georgia. 

HAVING  provided  for  the  security  and  wants 
of  the  settlers  during  his  absence,  Oglethorpe 
sailed  for  England  in  April,  1734,  taking  with 
him  the  Indian  chief  Tomochichi,  together  with 
his  wife,  and  several  other  influential  Creeks. 

On  their  arrival  in  London,  the  Indian  chiefs 
were  introduced  to  the  king,  in  the  presence  of  his 
nobility.  Tomochichi,  astonished  at  the  grandeur 
of  the  British  court,  addressed  the  king  in  the 
following  words : 

"  This  day  I  see  the  majesty  of  your  face,  the 
greatness  of  your  house,  and  the  number  of  your 
people.  I  am  come  in  my  old  days,  though  I 
cannot  expect  to  see  any  advantage  to  myself; 
I  am  come  for  the  good  of  the  children  of  all  the 
nations  of  the  Upper  and  Lower  Creeks,  that 
they  may  be  instructed  in  the  language  of  the 
English. 


HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


«  These  are  feathers  of  the  eagle,  which  is  the 
swiftest  of  birds,  and  which  flieth  round  our  na- 
tions :  these  feathers  are  emblems  of  peace  in  our 
land,  and  have  been  carried  from  town  to  town. 
We  have  brought  them  over  to  leave  them  with 
you,  0  great  king,  as  a  token  of  everlasting 
peace.  0  great  king,  whatever  words  you  shall 
say  unto  me,  I  will  faithfully  tell  them  to  all  the 
chiefs  of  the  Creek  nation." 

The  king  then  replied : 

"I  am  glad  of  this  opportunity  of  assuring 
you  of  my  regard  for  the  people  from  whom  you 
came.  I  am  extremely  well  pleased  with  the  as- 
surances you  have  brought  me  from  them,  and 
accept  very  gratefully  this  present,  as  indicating 
their  good  dispositions  to  me  and  my  people.  I 
shall  always  be  ready  to  cultivate  a  good  corre- 
spondence between  the  Creeks  and  my  subjects, 
and  shall  be  glad  on  any  occasion  to  show  you 
marks  of  my  particular  friendship." 

While  these  Indians  remained  in  England, 
nothing  was  neglected  that  would  impress  them 
with  just  notions  of  the  greatness  and  power  of 
the  British  nation.  They  were  allowed,  during 
their  sojourn  in  the  country,  twenty  pounds  a 
week  by  the  government.  They  were  feasted 
magnificently  by  the  nobility;  and  when  they 
returned  to  their  own  country,  it  was  computed 
that  they  carried  with  them  presents  to  the  value 
of  four  hundred  pounds  sterling. 


THOMAS   CAUSTON.  39 


After  staying  four  months  they  embarked  for 
Georgia,  highly  pleased  with  the  generosity  and 
grandeur  of  the  English  nation,  and  promising 
perpetual  fidelity  to  its  interests. 

On  his  return,  Tomochichi  told  his  people  that 
the  Great  Spirit  had  given  the  English  wisdom, 
power,  and  riches ;  so  that  they  wanted  nothing. 
He  had  given  the  Indians  great  extent  of  terri- 
tories, yet  they  wanted  every  thing.  He  exerted 
his  influence  in  prevailing  on  the  Creeks  to  re- 
sign such  lands  to  the  English  as  were  of  no, use 
to  themselves,  and  to  allow  them  to  settle  among 
them,  that  they  might  be  supplied  with  useful 
articles  for  cultivation  and  the  necessaries  of  life. 
He  told  them  further,  that  the  English  would 
trade  with  them  fairly ;  that  they  were  brethren, 
and  friends,  would  protect  them  against  danger, 
and  go  to  war  with  them  against  their  enemies. 

Notwithstanding  the  enthusiastic  praise  which 
some  of  the  settlers  had  bestowed  upon  the  cli- 
mate of  Georgia,  its  fertility,  salubrity,  and  the 
almost  Arcadian  life  of  those  who  had  emigrated 
thither,  it  was  soon  found  to  be  less  healthy  and 
productive  than  the  imaginative  had  supposed. 
The  colonists,  too,  partly  owing  to  the  absence 
of  Oglethorpe,  were  neither  happy  nor  prosperous. 

When  the  governor  sailed  for  England  in  April, 
1734,  he  delegated  his  authority,  mainly,  to  one 
Thomas  Causton.  Other  magistrates  were,  in- 
deed, associated  with  him,  but,  as  Causton  had 


40  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


sole  charge  of  the  public  stores,  they  were  de- 
pendent upon  him  for  subsistence,  and,  conse- 
quently, entirely  under  his  control. 

This  man,  who  was  of  low  origin,  soon  became 
intoxicated  with  the  powers  vested  in  him.  He 
grew  proud,  haughty,  and  cruel ;  assumed  a  sort 
of  gubernatorial  state;  compelled  eight  free- 
holders, with  an  officer,  to  attend  at  the  door  of 
the  court-house  when  it  was  in  session,  with  their 
guns  and  bayonets,  ordering  them  to  rest  their 
firelocks  as  soon  as  he  appeared.  He  bullied  the 
jurors,  and  threatened  with  the  jail,  stocks,  and 
whipping-post,  all  who  dared  to  oppose  his  arbi- 
trary proceedings. 

Among  the  victims  of  this  tyrannical  conduct 
was  Captain  Joseph  Watson.  He  brought  a  charge 
against  this  militia  officer  of  stirring  up  animosi- 
ties in  the  minds  of  the  Indians.  Watson  was 
indicted,  and  Causton  appeared  against  him  in 
the  triple  character  of  witness,  prosecutor,  and 
judge.  The  jury  returned  twice  without  finding 
the  prisoner  guilty  of  any  crime,  except  that  of 
using  certain  unguarded  expressions.  Causton 
commanded  the  jury  to  return,  find  him  guilty  of 
lunacy,  and  recommend  him  to  the  mercy  of  the 
court.  They  did  so:  Causton  immediately  or- 
dered him  to  prison,  and,  without  passing  any 
sentence,  confined  him  there  for  three  years. 

In  December,  1734,  Mr.  Gordon  was  sent  over 
by  the  trustees  as  chief  magistrate,  but  old  Caus- 


COLONISTS   DISSATISFIED.  41 


ton's  cunning  soon  devised  an  expedient  to  rid 
him  of  his  adversary.  Gordon  was  refused  either 
money  or  provisions  from  the  public  store,  and 
this  refusal  rendering  him  incapable  of  supporting 
himself  and  family,  he  was  obliged,  after  a  stay 
of  six  weeks,  to  return  to  England.  After  Gor- 
don's resignation,  two  others  were  appointed ;  but 
the  first  died  soon  afterward,  and  the  second  soon 
became  a  pliant  tool  in  the  hands  of  Causton ;  so 
that  the  latter  was  eventually  reinstated  in  his 
authority,  and  became  as  absolute  as  ever. 

But  the  colony  flourished  no  longer.  The  sys- 
tem of  rules  framed  by  the  trustees  was  found 
to  be  but  little  adapted  to  the  circumstances  and 
situation  of  the  poor  settlers.  The  principal  part 
of  the  people  had  been  idlers  and  outcasts  at  home, 
and  it  was  found  impossible  to  make  industrious 
farmers  of  them  abroad.  The  tenure  by  which 
they  held  their  lands  offered  no  inducements  to 
any  extraordinary  exertion,  as,  in  default  of  male 
heirs,  the  lands  reverted  to  the  trustees  at  the 
death  of  the  occupant.  The  restrictions  placed 
upon  the  Indian  trade  injured  Georgia,  while  it 
benefited  Carolina,  where  the  trade  was  carried 
on  unshackled  by  conditions.  In  Carolina,  too, 
the  people  could  buy  as  many  negroes  as  they 
pleased,  possess  by  a  fee-simple  title  several  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  and  choose  it  from  the  best 
that  was  vacant. 

These  comparisons  between  the  two  conditions 


42  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


of  provinces  adjoining  each  other  soon  rendered 
the  Georgians  dissatisfied,  and  tempted  many  to 
cross  the  Savannah  River  and  take  up  land  under 
the  more  favourable  auspices  of  Carolina. 

In  the  year  1735,  the  British  government  hav- 
ing appropriated  large  sums  of  money  to  the 
settlement  of  Georgia,  and  deeming  its  rapid 
increase  in  population  to  be  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  the  other  colonies,  became  more 
vigorous  in  its  efforts. 

Finding  that  the  poorer  classes,  who  formed 
the  first  settlers,  were  as  idle  and  useless  abroad 
as  they  had  previously  been  at  home,  the  trustees 
now  sought  for  a  hardy,  bold,  industrious  race  of 
men,  accustomed  to  rural  pursuits.  Turning  their 
eyes  to  Germany  and  Scotland,  they  resolved  to 
send  over  a  number  of  men  from  both  those 
countries,  to  strengthen  the  infant  colony. 

A  number  of  Highlanders  immediately  accepted 
the  proposals,  and  were  transported  to  Georgia. 
They  were  settled  on  the  Alatamaha,  where  they 
built  a  town  and  called  it  New  Inverness.  It  is 
at  present  known  by  the  name  of  Darien.  About 
the  same  time,  one  hundred  and  seventy  Germans 
embarked  with  Oglethorpe,  and  joined  their  coun- 
trymen at  Ebenezer.  Thus  in  the  space  of  three 
years,  Georgia  received  six  hundred  inhabitants, 
one-third  of  whom  were  Germans. 

Oglethorpe  arrived  in  Georgia  the  5th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1736,  bringing  with  him  a  number  of  guns 


JOHN  WESLEY.  43 


for  the  forts  and  batteries  already  erected,  or  yet 
to  be  built  at  Savannah,  Frederica,  Augusta,  and 
other  places. 

The  town  of  Augusta,  now  to  be  garrisoned, 
had  been  laid  off  and  partially  settled  the  year 
previous.  Several  warehouses  were  already  built, 
and  furnished  with  goods  suitable  for  the  Indian 
trade.  Boats,  constructed  by  the  inhabitants,  and 
calculated  to  carry  about  ten  thousand  weight  of 
peltry,  made  four  or  five  voyages  to  Charleston 
annually.  Augusta  soon  became  a  general  resort 
for  the  Indian  traders  in  the  spring,  where  they 
purchased  annually  nearly  two  thousand  pack- 
horse  loads  of  peltry.  It  was  estimated  that  six 
hundred  white  persons  were  engaged  in  this  trade. 

The  celebrated  John  Wesley  accompanied  Ogle- 
thorpe  to  Georgia,  with  the  intention  of  acting 
as  a  missionary  among  the  Indians,  as  well  as 
preaching  to  the  colonists.  Before  he  left  Eng- 
land, Wesley  and  his  followers  were  distinguished 
by  a  more  than  common  strictness  of  religious 
life.  They  received  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper  every  week  ;  observed  all  the  fasts  of  the 
church ;  visited  the  prisons  ;  rose  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  refrained  from  all  amuse- 
ments. From  the  exact  manner  in  which  they 
disposed  of  every  hour,  they  acquired  the  appel- 
lation of  Methodists,  by  which  title  their  followers 
have  ever  since  been  denominated. 

Wesley  soon  gained  a  number  of  proselytes ; 


44  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


but,  in  doing  so,  was  unfortunate  in  creating  un- 
pleasant divisions  among  the  people.  His  ene- 
mies charged  him  with  requiring  from  his  converts 
too  much  of  their  time  to  attend  prayer-meetings 
and  sermons,  fixed  at  improper  hours,  thus  se- 
riously interfering  with  their  industrial  pursuits. 
Other  and  more  serious  allegations  were  made ; 
but  we  may  justly  conclude,  from  his  subsequent 
irreproachable  life,  that  they  were  either  false,  or 
exceedingly  broad  exaggerations  of  the  truth. 
Finding  himself  involved,  through  the  malice  of 
ill-disposed  persons,  in  difficulties  of  a  mortifying 
nature,  he  abruptly  left  the  province,  and  never 
afterward  returned. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Oglethorpe  makes  a  treaty  with  the  Governor  of  East  Florida 
— Confers  with  a  commissioner  from  Havana — Embarks  for 
England — Revival  of  discontents  among  the  colonists — They 
petition  the  trustees  for  fee-simple  titles,  and  the  use  of 
slaves — Counter-petition  from  the  Germans  and  Scotch — The 
true  condition  of  the  settlers  stated. 

THE  presence  of  Oglethorpe  in  February,  1736, 
soon  produced  a  good  effect  in  allaying  the  inter- 
nal dissensions  of  the  colony,  and  strengthening 
it  against  the  threatened  hostility  of  the  Spa- 
niards. Finding  that  the  Georgians  were  gradu- 
ally acquiring  ability  to  cope  with  the  forces 


SPANISH   JEALOUSY.  45 


stationed  at  St.  Augustine,  the  governor  of  that 
place,  though  still  regarding  his  neighbours  with 
a  jealous  eye,  thought  it  expedient  to  enter  into  a 
negotiation  with  the  English  colony. 

The  terms  upon  which  the  treaty  was  concluded 
were  just  and  reasonable  to  both  the  contracting 
parties.  But  it  soon  appeared  that  the  Spanish 
ministry  at  home  were  far  from  being  desirous 
that  a  fair  understanding  should  be  established 
between  the  two  colonies.  Their  object  was  to 
compel  the  British  government  to  relinquish  the 
design  of  settling  the  colony  of  Georgia.  Their 
ambassador  at  the  court  of  London  was  instructed 
to  present  a  memorial  to  the  Duke  of  Newcastle, 
claiming  it  as  indisputable  that  the  colony  of 
Georgia  was  settled  upon  his  master's  dominions. 
No  plainer  proof  was  needed  to  show  that  the 
Spaniards  were  determined,  if  possible,  to  compel 
the  crown  of  Great  Britain  to  surrender  this  set- 
tlement. This  was  soon  made  more  clearly  ap- 
parent. 

In  the  course  of  the  year,  Oglethorpe  was 
notified  by  a  message  from  the  governor  of  St. 
Augustine,  that  a  Spanish  commissioner  from 
Havana  had  arrived  in  Florida  to  make  certain 
demands  of  him,  and  would  meet  him  at  Frederica 
for  that  purpose.  At  the  same  time  information 
was  obtained  that  three  companies  of  infantry 
had  been  landed  with  the  commissioner  at  St. 
Augustine. 


46  HISTORY   OP  GEORGIA. 

A  few  days  afterward,  Oglethorpe  held  a  con- 
ference with  the  commissioner  in  Jekyl  Sound. 
The  latter  demanded  that  the  English  should 
evacuate,  without  loss  of  time,  all  the  territories 
to  the  southward  of  St.  Helena  Sound,  as  they 
belonged  to  the  King  of  Spain,  who  was  deter- 
mined to  maintain  his  right  to  them.  Oglethorpe 
endeavoured  to  argue  the  matter ;  but  as  the  de- 
mand continued  positive  and  peremptory,  the 
conference  broke  up  without  coming  to  any  agree- 
ment. 

Apprehensive  of  danger,  Oglethorpe  embarked 
immediately  and  sailed  for  England,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  a  sufficient  force  to  meet  the 
enemy  in  case  the  colony  should  be  invaded.  On 
his  arrival,  he  found  the  trustees  disposed  to 
suspend  further  proceedings,  as  war  had  not  yet 
been  formally  declared  between  the  two  nations. 

At  length,  late  in  the  year  1737,  the  danger 
to  the  colony  was  found  to  be  growing  imminent. 
On  the  10th  of  August,  the  trustees  petitioned 
that  the  military  strength  of  Georgia  might  be 
increased  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  protect  the 
province  from  the  additional  forces  thrown  into 
Florida  by  the  Spaniards. 

On  the  25th  of  the  same  month,  Oglethorpe 
was  appointed  a  colonel,  with  the  rank  of  general, 
and  commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  in  South 
Carolina  and  Georgia;  with  orders  to  raise  a 
regiment  with  all  possible  expedition  for  the  pro- 


DISCONTENT   OF   THE   COLONISTS.  47 

tection  of  the  frontiers  of  the  colonies.  This  regi- 
ment reached  Georgia  in  September,  1738. 

During  Oglethorpe's  absence,  the  discontent 
of  the  people  had  ripened  into  a  settled  aversion 
to  their  condition.  They  discovered  that  their 
constitutions  would  not  bear  the  cultivation  of  the  / 
swamp  lands ;  and  that  the  pine  lands  were  un- 
productive. Instead  of  reaping  the  rich  harvest 
of  plenty,  raising  commodities  for  exportation, 
and  rolling  in  wealth  and  affluence,  as  they  had 
been  taught  to  expect, — the  labour  of  several 
years  had  not  enabled  them  to  provide  a  coarse, 
common  subsistence  for  themselves  and  families. 
Under  these  discouragements,  numbers  of  them 
withdrew  to  the  Carolina  side  of  the  river,  where 
the  prospects  of  success  were  more  promising. 

Dispirited  by  a  foresight  of  the  depopulation 
of  the  colony,  the  magistrates  joined  the  free- 
holders in  and  about  Savannah,  in  drawing  up  a 
petition  to  the  trustees,  asking  the  latter  to  grant, 
as  remedies  for  the  grievances  under  which  the 
settlers  laboured,  a  fee-simple  title  to  all  lands 
held  by  them,  and  the  use  of  negroes  under  pro- 
per limitations. 

In  this  petition,  the  hardy,  industrious  Ger- 
mans and  Highlanders  would  not  join.  On  the 
contrary,  in  counter-petitions,  drawn  up  and  pre- 
sented to  Oglethorpe  soon  after  his  arrival  in 
1738,  while  they  were  silent  in  regard  to  the 
restrictions  under  which  their  lands  were  held, 


48  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

they  denounced  in  the  strongest  terms  the  intro- 
duction of  slaves  into  the  colony ;  the  Scotch 
asserting  that  a  white  man  could  labour  more 
usefully  than  the  slave;  and  the  Germans  ex- 
pressing themselves  perfectly  contented  with  their 
condition,  while  they  denied  emphatically  the 
necessity  of  employing  negroes  in  the  culture  of 
rice.  The  Highlanders  and  Germans  both  in- 
terceded for  the  introduction  of  more  of  their  own 
countrymen,  to  assist  them  in  their  labours  during 
the  prevalence  of  peace,  and  strengthen  them 
with  their  weapons  in  case  they  should  be  invaded. 

In  the  German  petition,  they  draw  an  excellent 
contrast  between  the  land  they  had  left  and  that 
of  their  adoption.  It  is  well  worthy  of  being 
preserved,  as  giving  quite  a  picturesque  glimpse 
of  the  habits  of  the  period : 

«  Though  it  is  here,"  they  go  on  to  say,  "  a 
hotter  climate  than  our  native  country,  yet  it  is 
not  so  extremely  hot  as  we  were  told  on  our  first 
arrival.  Since  we  are  used  to  the  country,  we 
find  it  tolerable,  and  for  working  people  very 
convenient,  setting  themselves  to  work  early  in 
the  morning  till  ten  o'clock,  and  in  the  afternoon 
from  three  to  sunset.  Having  business  at  home, 
we  do  it  in  our  houses  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
till  the  greatest  heat  is  over.  People  in  Germany 
are  hindered  by  frost  and  snow  in  the  winter, 
from  doing  any  work  in  the  fields  and  vineyards ; 
but  we  have  this  preference,  to  do  the  most  and 


SLAVES   INTKODUCED.  49 


heaviest  work  at  such  a  time,  preparing  the 
ground  sufficiently  for  planting  in  the  spring.  At 
first,  when  the  ground  has  to  be  cleared  of  trees, 
bushes,  and  roots,  and  fenced  in  carefully,  we 
undergo  some  hard  labour ;  but  it  becomes  easier 
and  more  pleasing  when  the  hardest  trial  is  over, 
and  our  plantations  are  better  regulated." 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  reader  that  Georgia  con- 
tained two  very  different  classes  of  men;  one 
which  laboured  heartily,  and  was  prosperous  and 
contented ;  while  the  other  charged  the  climate 
and  soil  with  causing  that  deplorable  condition 
of  things  which  should  have  been  ascribed  to  their 
own  idleness  and  dissatisfaction. 

Had  the  whole  of  the  colonists  consisted  of  such 
men  as  the  Saltzburghers  and  the  Highlanders, 
Georgia  might  have  favourably  compared  with  the 
most  flourishing  of  her  sister  States,  both  in  popu- 
lation and  in  wealth.  But  evil  counsels  prevailed. 
The  idlers  far  outnumbered  those  who  worked, 
and  although  the  trustees  stood  out  for  a  long 
time,  slaves  were  eventually  admitted,  and  the 
energies  of  the  industrious  whites  correspondingly 
paralyzed. 

On  the  one  hand,  it  must  be  admitted  that  a 
portion  of  the  settlers  had  just  cause  of  complaint. 
The  land  about  Savannah  was  granted  indiscrimi- 
nately. Some  of  the  lots  were  rich  and  valuable, 
others  poor.  The  farmer  who  was  obliged  to 
cultivate  pine  land  could  barely  subsist  by  his 


50  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 

labour ;  while  the  river  and  swamp  land  was  so 
heavily  clothed  with  timber,  that  it  required 
twenty  hands  for  one  year  to  put  forty  acres  in  a 
good  condition  for  cultivation.  There  is  no  doubt, 
also,  that  the  air  from  the  swamps  generated 
intermittent  and  bilious  fevers.  The  sea-breeze 
could  not  penetrate  the  thick  forests  sufficiently 
to  agitate  the  air,  which  at  some  seasons  is  heavy 
and  foggy,  and  at  others  clear,  but  close  and 
suffocating. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Difficulties  between  England  and  Spain  still  continue — Spanish 
encroachments — England  declares  war — Agents  from  St. 
Augustine  deceive  the  Creeks — Oglethorpe's  troubles — The 
trustees  change  the  tenure  of  land  in  Georgia — Refuse  to 
admit  negroes  or  ardent  spirits — Spanish  perfidy — Conspi- 
racy to  murder  Oglethorpe — His  narrow  escape — The  ring- 
leaders shot — Negro  insurrection  in  Carolina  quelled — Decla- 
ration of  war — Oglethorpe  projects  an  expedition  to  St. 
Augustine,  which  fails — Conduct  of  his  enemies  in  Georgia 
and  Carolina — Condition  of  Georgia  in  1740. 

SEVERAL  years  passed  without  England  and 
Spain  coming  to  an  open  rupture,  yet  there  was 
not  a  good  understanding  between  the  two  courts, 
either  as  regarded  the  privileges  of  navigation  or 
the  southern  limits  of  Georgia.  The  British  mer- 
chants claimed,  by  treaty,  the  privilege  of  cutting 
logwood  in  the  Bay  of  Campeachy ;  and  finding 


ST.  AUGUSTINE   REINFORCED.  51 


this  tolerated  by  Spain,  extended  their  claim  to  a 
traffic  with  the  Spaniards,  and  supplied  them  with 
English  manufactures. 

To  check  this  illicit  trade,  the  Spaniards 
doubled  their  marine  force  on  that  station,  and 
directed  the  seizure  of  all  vessels  carrying  contra- 
band commodities.  At  length,  not  only  smugglers, 
but  fair  traders  were  searched  and  detained.  This 
injustice  produced  remonstrances  to  the  Spanish 
court,  which  were  answered  by  evasive  promises 
and  vexatious  delays. 

In  the  mean  time,  considerable  reinforcements 
were  sent  to  the  garrison  at  St.  Augustine,  and  a 
surplus  of  arms,  ammunition,  and  clothing,  which 
were  supposed  to  be  intended  for  the  Indians. 

Georgia  and  Carolina  now  became  seriously 
alarmed.  The  lieutenant-governor  of  the  latter 
province  despatched  advice  to  England  of  the 
growing  power  of  Spain  in  East  Florida,  and  ac- 
quainted the  trustees  with  the  fact  that  such 
preparations  were  making  there  as  evidently  por- 
tended hostilities  ;  and  as  the  Spaniards  pretended 
to  have  a  claim  to  Georgia,  there  were  strong 
grounds  to  believe  that  they  would  assert  their 
claim  by  force  of  arms.  The  king  resolved  to 
maintain  his  rights  and  vindicate  the  honour  of 
his  crown.  Instructions  were  despatched  to  the 
British  ambassador  at  Madrid  to  demand,  in  ab- 
solute terms,  a  compensation  for  the  injuries  of 
trade.  The  Spanish  government  agreed  to  allow 


52  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


the  demand,  on  condition  of  its  claims  upon  the 
South  Sea  Company  being  deducted,  and  Ogle- 
thorpe's  settlers  recalled  from  Georgia. 

These  conditions  were  indignantly  rejected  by 
the  court  of  Great  Britain.  The  Spanish  ambas- 
sador at  London  was  informed  that  the  King  of 
England  was  determined  on  maintaining  his  right 
to  every  single  foot  of  land  within  the  province 
of  Georgia;  and  that  he  must  allow  his  subjects 
to  make  reprisals,  since  satisfaction  for  their  losses 
in  trade  could  be  obtained  in  no  other  way. 

The  Hector  and  Blandford  ships  of  war  had 
been  ordered  to  convey  Oglethorpe's  regiment  to 
Georgia,  where  they  arrived  in  September,  1738. 

The  general  established  his  head-quarters  on 
Jekyl  and  Cumberland  Islands,  to  watch  the  mo- 
tions of  the  enemy.  During  these  preparations, 
Spanish  agents  from  St.  Augustine,  knowing  the 
attachment  of  the  Creek  Indians  for  Oglethorpe, 
went  among  them,  and,  impressing  them  with  a 
belief  that  he  was  at  St.  Augustine,  prevailed 
upon  some  of  them,  by  promises  of  considerable 
presents,  to  visit  him  at  that  place. 

Finding,  on  their  arrival,  that  a  deception  had 
been  practised  upon  them,  they  became  highly 
offended.  The  Spanish  governor,  in  order  to  cover 
the  fraud,  pretended  that  the  general  was  sick  on 
board  of  a  ship  in  the  harbour,  and  invited  the 
chiefs  to  go  there  and  see  him.  But  the  Indians, 
suspicious  of  some  deep  design,  refused  to  go, 


OGLETHORPE'S  TROUBLES.  53 


rejected  their  presents  and  offers  of  alliance,  and 
immediately  left  the  place.  When  they  reached 
their  towns,  they  found  an  invitation  from  Ogle- 
thorpe  to  meet  him  at  Frederica.  They  imme- 
diately repaired  thither,  and  renewed,  with  an 
ardour  increased  by  the  conduct  of  the  Spaniards, 
their  former  treaty  of  friendship  and  alliance. 

But  while  thus  watchful  over  the  interests  of 
the  colony,  Oglethorpe  was  continually  harassed 
with  unceasing  complaints  from  the  people  in  and 
around  Savannah.  Letters  written  in  the  boldest 
style,  and  couched  in  the  most  vigorous  language, 
were  addressed  to  him  over  the  signature  of 
"  The  Plain  Dealer ;"  while  petitions,  numerously 
signed,  were  forwarded  by  the  malcontents  to  the 
trustees  in  London.  They  were  clamorous  for 
rum,  for  the  privilege  of  purchasing  slaves,  and 
for  fee-simple  titles  to  their  lands. 

Finding  that  the  discontent  and  uneasiness 
among  the  settlers  were  not  likely  to  be  allayed 
until  some  favourable  action  was  taken  upon  their 
petitions,  the  trustees  met  on  the  15th  of  March, 
1739,  and  removed  the  only  real  cause  of  com- 
plaint, by  passing  a  resolution,  that  in  default  of 
male  issue,  any  legal  possessor  of  land  might,  by 
a  deed  in  writing,  or  by  his  last  will  and  testa- 
ment, appoint  his  daughter  as  his  successor,  or 
any  other  male  or  female  relation  ;  with  a  proviso, 
that  the  successor  should,  in  the  proper  court  in 
Georgia,  personally  claim  the  lot  granted  or  de- 
5* 


54  HISTORY    OF   GEORGIA. 


vised,  within  eighteen  months  after  the  decease 
of  the  grantor  or  devisor.  This  privilege  was 
soon  after  extended  to  every  legal  possessor,  who 
was  empowered  to  appoint  any  other  person  to 
be  his  successor. 

The  petition  for  the  introduction  of  negroes 
was  at  the  same  time  rejected,  out  of  considera- 
tion for  the  firm,  but  respectful  remonstrances  of 
the  Scotch  and  German  settlers. 

All  kinds  of  ardent  spirits,  however,  in  spite 
of  prohibition,  soon  found  their  way,  by  secret 
channels,  into  the  colony.  So  feeble  or  so  im- 
perfect were  the  exertions  made  to  suppress  their 
introduction,  that  Oglethorpe,  while  sitting  in  the 
apartments  of  respectable  officers  or  settlers, 
would  frequently  observe  them  retire  to  an  ad- 
joining room  to  indulge  privately  in  the  use  of 
the  interdicted  spirits,  at  the  smell  of  which  he 
would  exclaim  :  "  Wo  to  the  liquor  if  it  come  to 
my  sight !"  That  which  he  discovered  was  always 
thrown  away. 

The  darling  project  of  General  Oglethorpe  was 
to  restrain  the  Spaniards  to  the  south  of  St. 
John's ;  for  which  purpose  he  established  a  chain 
of  forts  from  Augusta  to  the  mouth  of  that  river. 
But  while  he  was  thus  preparing  his  colony  for 
defence  against  the  invasion  of  the  enemy,  a 
criminal  scheme  was  concocted  against  him, 
which,  had  it  been  successful,  would  have  involved 
the  most  dangerous  consequences.  Treason  was 


CONSPIRACY  AGAINST   OGLETHORPE.          55 


discovered  in  the  centre  of  his  camp,  and  a  deep- 
laid  plot  had  heen  planned  to  assassinate  him. 

Two  companies  of  his  regiment  had  been  drawn 
from  Gibraltar,  some  of  whom  could  speak  the 
Spanish  language.  Detachments  from  these  com- 
panies had  been  stationed  on  Cumberland  Island, 
and  the  Spanish  outposts  on  the  other  side  could 
approach  so  near  as  to  converse  with  them.  One 
man  of  these  companies  had  been  in  the  Spanish 
service,  and  not  only  understood  their  language, 
but,  being  himself  a  Catholic,  professed  an  aver- 
sion to  the  Protestant  religion.  The  Spaniards 
found,  through  this  villain,  the  means  of  corrupt- 
ing the  minds  of  several  of  the  British  soldiers, 
who  united  in  forming  a  design  to  murder  Ogle- 
thorpe,  and  then  make  their  escape  to  St.  Augus- 
tine. 

Accordingly,  the  day  was  fixed.  The  soldiers 
who  were  concerned  in  the  plot  came  up  to  the 
General,  and  made  some  extraordinary  demands, 
as  a  pretext  for  executing  their  diabolical  purpose. 
These,  as  they  expected,  being  refused,  at  a  sig- 
nal previously  concerted,  one  of  them  discharged 
his  piece  at  the  general,  who  was  so  near  at  the 
time,  that  the  powder  burned  his  face  and  singed 
his  clothes,  the  ball  passing  harmlessly  over  his 
shoulder.  Another  conspirator  then  presented 
his  piece  and  attempted  to  fire,  but  the  powder 
only  flashed  in  the  pan ;  a  third  drew  his  hanger 
and  attempted  to  stab  him.  The  general,  by 


56  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


this  time,  having  drawn  his  sword,  parried  the 
thrust,  and  an  officer,  coming  up,  ran  the  ruffian 
through  the  body  and  killed  him  on  the  spot.  The 
mutineers,  discouraged  by  the  failure  of  their 
efforts,  attempted  to  escape  by  flight,  but  were 
caught  and  laid  in  irons.  A  court-martial  was 
ordered  to  try  the  ringleaders  of  this  desperate 
conspiracy,  some  of  whom  were  found  guilty  and 
sentenced  to  be  shot. 

Another  and  more  dreadful  effort  of  Spanish 
policy  was  attempted  to  be  practised  about  the 
same  time  in  South  Carolina.  Emissaries  had 
been  sent  from  St.  Augustine  to  Carolina,  with 
a  design  to  stir  up  an  insurrection  among  the 
negroes,  whose  number  amounted  to  forty  thou- 
sand, while  the  entire  white  population  of  that 
province  did  not  exceed  more  than  five  thousand. 

This  nefarious  design  was  only  partially  suc- 
cessful. A  number  of  negroes  collected  at  Stono, 
hoisted  their  standard,  and  proclaimed  open  re- 
bellion. They  marched  through  the  country,  with 
drums  beating  and  colours  flying ;  plundered  and 
burned  several  houses,  and  murdered  men,  women, 
and  children.  But  for  the  circumstance  of  the 
English  carrying  their  guns  with  them  to  church, 
an  indiscriminate  massacre  of  the  whites  must 
have  ensued.  Fortunately,  the  armed  men  from 
the  church  made  a  judicious  attack  upon  the  head- 
quarters of  the  negroes,  and  they  were  either  killed 
or  dispersed. 


WAR   DECLARED.  57 


Oglethorpe,  having  been  advised  of  the  insur- 
rection in  the  neighbouring  province,  redoubled 
his  vigilance  in  Georgia,  and  seized  all  straggling 
negroes  and  Spaniards  who  were  found  passing 
through  the  colony. 

In  the  mean  time,  matters  were  hastening  to 
a  rupture  in  Europe,  and  a  war  between  England 
and  Spain  appeared  to  be  inevitable.  Plenipo- 
tentiaries met  at  Pardo  in  convention,  but  the  con- 
ference terminated  as  before,  unsatisfactorily  to 
both  parties.  The  spirit  of  the  English  people 
was  now  fully  roused :  hostile  preparations  were 
made ;  all  the  officers  of  the  army  and  navy 
were  ordered  to  their  stations,  and  with  the 
unanimous  voice  of  the  nation,  war  was  declared 
against  Spain,  on  the  23d  of  October,  1739. 

Admiral  Vernon  was  sent  to  take  command  of 
a  squadron  on  the  West  India  station,  with  orders 
to  act  offensively  against  the  Spanish  dominions  in 
that  quarter,  so  as  to  divide  their  force.  General 
Oglethorpe  was  ordered  to  annoy  the  subjects  of 
Spain  in  Florida,  by  every  method  in  his  power. 
Acting  under  these  instructions,  he  projected  an 
expedition  against  the  Spanish  settlement  at  St. 
Augustine,  in  which  he  was  warmly  seconded  by 
the  authorities  of  South  Carolina.  Owing  to  a 
combination  of  untoward  circumstances,  this  ex- 
pedition signally  failed,  and  Oglethorpe  returned 
to  Frederica  on  the  10th  of  July,  1740. 

His  conduct  during  this  short  and  unfortunate 


58 


HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 


campaign  was  bitterly  censured,  and  maliciously 
criticised,  by  the  news-mongers  and  pamphleteers 
of  the  province,  by  whom  he  was  alternately 
charged  with  cowardice,  despotism,  cruelty,  and 
bribery.  That  these  charges  were  without  the 
shadow  of  foundation  in  truth,  the  whole  life  of 
this  amiable  and  energetic  gentleman  testified. 
Without  any  views  to  his  own  interests,  his  whole 
efforts  were  directed  to  the  enlargement  of  the 
dominions  of  his  country,  the  propagation  of  the 
Protestant  religion,  and  providing  for  the  wants 
and  necessities  of  the  indigent.  He  had  volun- 
tarily banished  himself  from  the  pleasures  of  a 
court,  and  exposed  himself  to  the  dangers  of  the 
ocean,  in  several  perilous  and  tedious  voyages. 
Instead  of  allowing  himself  the  satisfaction  which 
a  plentiful  fortune,  powerful  friends,  and  great 
merit  entitled  him  to  in  England,  he  had  inured 
himself  to  hardships  and  exposures,  in  common 
with  the  poor  settlers ;  his  food,  boiled  rice, 
mouldy  bread,  salt  beef  and  pork ;  his  bed  the 
damp  ground,  and  his  covering  the  canopy  of 
heaven. 

The  settlers  of  Georgia  had  not  increased  with 
that  rapidity  which  had  been  anticipated  by  the 
trustees,  nor  was  its  condition  by  any  means 
flourishing,  considering  the  immense  sums  of 
money  which  had  been  expended.  The  number 
of  colonists  sent  to  Georgia,  and  supported  at  the 
expense  of  the  trustees,  was  found,  at  the  close 


REV.   GEORGE   WHITEFIELD.  59 

of  the  eighth  year,  to  be  fifteen  hundred  and 
twenty-one,  of  whom  six  hundred  and  eighty-six 
were  men  capable  of  bearing  arms.  The  amount 
expended  in  the  settlement,  up  to  the  same  period 
of  time,  were  one  hundred  and  twelve  thousand 
pounds.  Of  this  amount,  ninety-four  thousand 
pounds  were  appropriated  by  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, and  the  balance  raised  by  private  contri- 
butions. Those  who  came  at  their  own  charges 
are  not  included  in  the  above  statement,  nor  is 
the  number  of  them  known. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Rev.  George  Whitefield  arrives  in  Georgia — His  piety  and 
benevolence — His  Orphan-house — Whitefield's  character  and 
life — His  death. 

THE  Rev.  George  "Whitefield,  who  merits  par- 
ticular notice  in  the  history  of  Georgia,  arrived 
at  Savannah  in  May,  1738.  This  celebrated  field 
preacher  was  born  in  1714,  in  Gloucester,  Eng- 
land. At  twelve  years  of  age  he  was  put  to  a 
grammar-school,  and  at  sixteen  he  was  admitted 
servitor  in  Pembroke  College,  Oxford,  where  he 
distinguished  himself  by  the  austerities  of  his  de- 
votion. At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  the  fame  of 
his  piety  recommended  him  so  effectually  to  Dr. 
Benson,  Bishop  of  Gloucester,  that  he  ordained 


60  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


him.  Immediately  after  Mr.  Whitefield's  admis- 
sion into  the  ministry,  he  applied  himself  with  the 
most  extraordinary  and  indefatigable  zeal  and 
industry  to  the  duties  of  his  calling,  preaching 
daily  in  the  prisons,  fields,  and  open  streets, 
wherever  he  thought  there  would  be  a  likelihood 
of  making  religious  impressions.  Having  at  length 
made  himself  universally  known  in  England,  he 
applied  to  the  trustees  for  establishing  the  colony 
of  Georgia,  for  a  grant  of  a  tract  of  land  near 
Savannah,  with  the  benevolent  intention  of  build- 
ing an  orphan-house,  designed  as  an  asylum  for 
poor  children,  who  were  to  be  clothed  and  fed  by 
charitable  contributions,  and  educated  in  the 
knowledge  and  practice  of  Christianity.  In  his 
efforts  for  the  propagation  of  religion,  Whitefield 
several  times  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  con- 
vert the  Americans,  whom  he  addressed  in  such 
manner  as  if  they  had  been  all  equally  strangers 
to  the  privileges  and  benefits  of  religion,  with  the 
aborigines  of  the  forest.  However,  his  zeal  never 
led  him  beyond  the  maritime  parts  of  America, 
through  which  he  travelled,  spreading  his  faith 
among  the  most  populous  towns  and  villages. 
Wherever  he  went  in  America,  as  in  Britain,  he 
had  multitudes  of  followers.  When  he  first  visited 
Charleston,  Alexander  Garden,  who  was  an  Epis- 
copal clergyman  in  that  place,  took  occasion  to 
point  out  the  pernicious  tendency  of  Whitefield's 
doctrines  and  irregular  manner  of  life.  He  repre- 


REV.    GEORGE   WHITEFIELD.  61 


sented  him  as  a  religious  impostor  or  quack,  who 
had  an  excellent  way  of  setting  off,  disguising,  and 
rendering  palatable  his  poisonous  tenets.  On  the 
other  hand,  Mr.  Whitefield,  who  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  stand  reproach  and  face  opposition, 
retorted  in  his  own  peculiar  way.  On  one  occa- 
sion, Alexander  Garden,  to  keep  his  flock  from 
going  after  this  strange  pastor,  expatiated  on  these 
words  of  Scripture :  "  Those  that  have  turned  the 
world  upside  down  are  come  hither  also."  Mr. 
Whitefield,  with  all  the  force  of  comic  humour 
and  wit  for  which  he  was  distinguished,  by  way 
of  reply  enlarged  upon  these  words :  «  Alexander 
the  copper-smith  hath  done  me  much  evil :  the 
Lord  reward  him  according  to  his  works." 

Mr.  Whitefield  commenced  the  building  of  his 
orphan-house  in  Georgia  in  1740,  on  a  sandy 
bluff  near  the  sea-shore,  on  a  tract  of  land  granted 
to  him  for  the  purpose  by  the  trustees ;  the  house 
was  built  of  wood,  and  was  seventy  feet  by  forty. 
To  this  house  poor  children  were  sent,  to  be  sup- 
ported partly  by  charity,  and  partly  by  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  land  cultivated  by  negroes. 

Mr.  Whitefield  took  the  healthiness  of  the  place 
for  granted,  from  its  similarity  of  situation  to  that 
of  Frederica,  and  having  formed  the  project,  he 
determined  to  persevere,  priding  himself  on  sur- 
mounting every  obstacle  and  difficulty.  He  tra- 
velled through  the  British  empire,  setting  forth 
the  excellence  of  his  design,  and.  obtained  from 
6 


62  HISTORY  OP   GEORGIA. 

charitable  people  money,  clothes,  and  books,  to 
forward  his  undertaking  and  supply  his  poor 
orphans  in  Georgia.  The  house  was  finished,  and 
furnished  with  an  excellent  library ;  but,  owing 
most  probably  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  situa- 
tion, the  institution  never  flourished  to  the  extent 
of  his  expectations  and  wishes,  though  a  great 
sum  of  money  was  expended  in  bringing  it  to 
maturity. 

The  talents  of  Mr.  Whitefield  were  extraordi- 
nary. His  influence  and  weight  at  that  day  cer- 
tainly made  him  one  of  the  most  useful  men  in 
America.  He  had  many  friends  and  admirers 
among  men  of  the  first  influence  and  respecta- 
bility, and  followers  from  all  classes.  He  was  so 
popular  in  preaching,  that  his  churches  or  places 
of  religious  resort  were  crowded  a  long  time  be- 
fore he  appeared.  Often  when  he  preached  in  a 
church,  a  line  was  extended  outwards,  there  being 
no  room  to  go  in ;  and  at  the  door  pious  persons 
•were  soliciting  for  leave  "  only  to  see  his  blessed 
face,"  though  they  could  not  hear  him.  Such  were 
the  respect,  enthusiasm,  and  regard  he  had  in- 
spired, owing  to  his  sincerity,  faith,  zeal,  and 
truly  great  and  extraordinary  talents.  It  is  re- 
lated of  the  accomplished  Lord  Chesterfield,  that 
he  once  observed,  "  Mr.  Whitefield  is  the  greatest 
orator  I  have  ever  heard,  and  I  cannot  conceive 
of  a  greater."  His  writings  are  said  to  afford  no 
idea  of  his  oratorical  powers :  his  person,  his  de- 


REV.    GEORGE   WHITEFIELD.  63 


livery,  his  boldness,  his  zeal  and  sincerity  of  pur- 
pose in  the  propagation  of  the  gospel,  made  him  a 
truly  wonderful  man  in  the  pulpit,  while  his  printed 
sermons  give  the  impression  of  only  an  indifferent 
preacher.  It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  delineate  his 
character.  He  was  in  the  British  empire  not  un- 
like one  of  those  strange  and  erratic  meteora 
which  appear  now  and  then  in  the  system  of  na- 
ture. He  often  lamented  that  in  his  youth  he 
was  gay  and  giddy;  so  fondly  attached  to  the 
stage,  that  he  frequently  recited  difficult  pieces 
while  he  was  at  school,  with  such  great  applause, 
that  Garrick  observed  of  him  that  the  stage  had 
lost  an  ornament.  Then  he  probably  acquired 
those  gestures,  which  he  practised  under  his 
clerical  robes  with  great  success  and  advantage 
upon  the  feelings  of  his  hearers. 

After  receiving  his  ordination  in  the  Church  of 
England,  he  refused  submission  to  the  regulations 
either  of  that  or  any  other  particular  church,  but 
became  a  preacher  in  churches,  meeting-houses, 
halls,  fields,  in  all  places  and  to  all  denominations, 
without  exception.  Though  not  distinguished  for 
his  learning,  he  had  a  lively  imagination,  much 
humour,  and  had  acquired  a  great  knowledge  of 
human  nature  and  the  customs  of  the  world.  He 
possessed  a  large  share  of  humanity  and  benevo- 
lence ;  but  frequently  displayed  an  excessive 
warmth  of  temper  when  roused  by  opposition  and 
contradiction.  His  reading  was  inconsiderable, 


64  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 


but  he  had  an  extraordinary  memory,  and  man- 
kind being  one  of  the  great  objects  of  his  study, 
he  could,  when  he  pleased,  raise  the  passions  and 
excite  the  emotions  of  the  human  heart  with 
admirable  skill  and  fervour.  By  his  affecting 
eloquence  and  address,  he  impressed  on  the  minds 
of  many,  especially  of  the  more  soft  and  delicate 
sex,  such  a  strong  sense  of  sin  and  guilt  as  often 
plunged  them  into  dejection  and  despair.  While 
he  was  almost  worshipped  by  the  lower  order, 
men  of  superior  rank  and  erudition  found  him  the 
polite  gentleman,  and  the  facetious  and  jocular 
companion.  Though  he  loved  good  cheer,  and 
frequented  the  houses  of  the  rich  and  hospitable, 
yet  he  was  an  enemy  to  all  manner  of  excess  and 
intemperance.  While  his  disposition  to  travel  led 
him  from  place  to  place,  his  natural  discernment 
enabled  him  to  form  correct  opinions  of  the  cha- 
racters and  manners  of  men,  wherever  he  went. 
Though  he  gave  a  preference  to  no  particular 
established  church,  yet  good  policy  winked  at  all 
his  eccentricities,  as  he  everywhere  supported  the 
character  of  a  steady  friend  to  civil  government. 
He  had  great  talents  for  exciting  the  curiosity  of 
the  multitude,  and  his  roving  manner  stamped  a 
kind  of  novelty  on  his  instructions.  When  ex- 
posed to  the  taunts  of  the  irreligious  scoffer  and  the 
ridicule  of  the  flagitious,  he  remained  firm  to  his 
purpose,  and  could  retort  upon  his  deriders  with 
astonishing  ease  and  dexterity,  and  render  vice 


REV.  GEOKGE   WHITEFIELD.  65 

abashed  under  the  lash  of  his  satire  and  wit.  In 
short,  though  he  was  said  to  have  had  many  oddi- 
ties, yet  few  will  undertake  to  deny  that  religion 
in  America  was  greatly  indebted  to  the  zeal, 
diligence,  and  oratory  of  this  extraordinary  man. 
After  a  long  course  of  peregrination,  his  fortune 
increased  as  his  fame  extended  among  his  follow- 
ers, and  he  erected  two  very  extensive  buildings 
for  public  worship  in  London,  under  the  name 
of  tabernacles  :  one  in  Tottenham  Court  road,  and 
the  other  at  Moorfields,  where,  by  the  help  of 
some  assistants,  he  continued  several  years,  at- 
tended by  very  crowded  congregations.  By  being 
chaplain  to  the  Countess-dowager  of  Hunting- 
don, he  was  also  connected  with  two  other  reli- 
gious meetings :  one  at  Bath,  and  the  other  at 
Tunbridge,  chiefly  erected  under  that  virtuous 
lady's  patronage. 

In  America,  which  had  engaged  much  of  his 
attention,  Mr.  Whitefield  was  destined  to  close 
his  eyes.  He  died  at  Newburyport,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1770.  When  the  report  of  his  decease 
reached  the  legislature  of  Georgia,  honourable 
mention  was  made  of  him,  and  a  sum  of  money 
was  appropriated,  with  a  unanimous  voice,  for 
bringing  his  remains  to  Georgia,  to  be  interred 
at  his  orphan-house ;  but  the  inhabitants  of  New- 
buryport, being  much  attached  to  him  when  living, 
objected  to  the  removal  of  his  body,  and  the  de- 
sign was  relinquished. 

6* 


66  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

In  a  letter  from  Dr.  Franklin  to  Dr.  Jones, 
mentioning  Mr.  Whitefield,  he  says,  "I  cannot 
forbear  expressing  the  pleasure  it  gives  me  to  see 
an  account  of  the  respect  paid  to  his  memory  hy 
your  assembly :  I  knew  him  intimately  upwards 
of  thirty  years ;  his  integrity,  disinterestedness, 
and  indefatigable  zeal,  in  prosecuting  every  good 
work,  /  have  never  seen  equalled,  I  shall  never 
see  excelled." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Description  of  Frederica — Its  fortifications — Zeal  and  energy 
of  Oglethorpc — Descent  of  the  Spaniards  upon  Georgia — 
Lukewarmness  of  the  Carolinians — Indians  and  Highlanders 
assist  Oglethorpe — Spanish  fleet  enter  the  harbour  and  land 
— The  Spaniards  defeated  in  three  engagements — Ogle- 
thorpe's  successful  stratagem — The  Spanish  defeated  at 
»"9loqdy  Marsh — The  enemy  retreats  from  Georgia — Spanish 
commander  tried  and  disgraced — The  provincial  governors 
congratulate  Oglethorpe — Charges  brought  against  him  by 
Colonel  Cook — He  is  tried  and  acquitted — Cook  disgraced 
—Civil  government  established. 

FREDERICA,  the  head-quarters  of  General  Ogle- 
thorpe, was  settled  in  1736,  on  the  island  of  St. 
Simons,  south  of  the  Alatamaha,  and  on  the  west 
side  of  that  island  about  the  centre.  It  stands 
upon  a  high  bluff,  compared  with  the  marshes  in 
its  front.  The  shore  is  washed  by  a  fine  river, 
which  communicates  with  the  Alatamaha,  and 


FREDERICA.  67 

enters  the  ocean  through  Jekyl  Sound,  at  the 
south  end  of  the  island.  The  river  forms  a  bay  be- 
fore the  town,  and  is  navigable  for  vessels  of  large 
burden.  The  town  was  defended  by  a  pretty 
strong  fort  of  tappy,  and  several  eighteen-pound- 
ers  were  mounted  on  a  ravelin  in  front,  which 
commanded  the  river.  The  fort  was  surrounded 
by  regular  ramparts,  had  four  bastions  of  earth, 
stockaded  and  turfed,  and  a  palisaded  ditch, 
which  included  the  storehouses ;  two  large  and 
spacious  buildings  of  brick  and  timber,  with  seve- 
ral pieces  of  ordnance  mounted  on  the  rampart. 
The  town  was  also  surrounded  by  a  rampart,  with 
flankers  of  the  same  thickness  as  that  round  the 
fort,  in  form  of  a  pentagon,  and  a  dry  ditch. 
The  whole  circumference  of  the  town  was  about 
a  mile  and  a  half. 

The  town  had  two  gates,  called  the  town  and 
water  posts ;  next  to  the  latter  was  the  guard- 
house, under  which  was  a  prison  handsomely 
built  of  brick. 

At  the  north  end  the  barracks  were  built  of 
tappy,  and  near  them  the  magazine.  A  road  was 
opened  to  the  southward,  to  the  plantations  of 
Captain  Demere,  Mr.  Hawkins,  and  General 
Oglethorpe ;  the  latter,  at  a  little  distance,  re- 
sembled a  neat  little  country  village  :  farther  on 
were  several  families  of  Saltzburghers.  A  look- 
out of  rangers  was  kept  at  Bachelor's  Bluff,  on 
the  main.  A  corporal's  guard  at  Pike's  Bluff  on 


68  HISTORY   OF    GEORGIA. 


the  north,  and  a  canal  was  cut  through  the  gene- 
ral's island  to  facilitate  communication  with 
Darien.  Frederica  was  laid  out  with  spacious 
streets,  named  after  the  officers,  and  margined 
with  orange  trees. 

At  the  south  point  of  the  island  was  the  little 
town  of  St.  Simons ;  near  it  a  small  battery  was 
built  as  a  watch-tower  to  discover  vessels  at  sea, 
and  upon  such  discovery  an  alarm-gun  was  fired, 
and  a  horseman  despatched  to  head-quarters  about 
nine  miles  distant.  In  case  an  enemy  appeared, 
the  number  of  guns  fired  indicated  the  number 
of  vessels. 

Forts  and  batteries  were  also  erected  on  the 
north  end  of  Jekyl  Island,  (where  a  brewery  was 
established  to  make  beer  for  the  troops,)  on  the 
north  end  of  Cumberland  Island,  near  St.  An- 
drew's Sound,  and  at  the  mouth  of  St.  John's 
River.  A  stronger  proof  cannot  be  given  of 
General  Oglethorpe's  zeal  and  indefatigable  in- 
dustry, than  that  all  these  fortifications  were 
erected  in  seven  months. 

The  time  was  now  advancing  when  these  de- 
fences were  to  be  found  useful.  The  squadron 
of  Admiral  Vernon  had,  for  some  time,  occupied 
so  much  the  attention  of  the  enemy  in  the  West 
Indies,  that  none  of  the  Spanish  fleet  could  be 
spared  to  contest  their  supposed  right  to  the 
southern  portion  of  Georgia.  But  no  sooner 
had  the  greatest  part  of  the  British  fleet  left 


SPANISH    INVASION.  69 


those  seas  and  returned  to  England,  than  the 
Spaniards  commenced  their  preparations  for  a 
descent  upon  Oglethorpe's  settlement. 

Accordingly,  two  thousand  troops,  commanded 
by  Don  Antonio  de  Rodondo,  embarked  at  Ha- 
vana, and  arrived  about  the  first  of  May,  1742, 
at  St.  Augustine ;  but  before  they  had  reached 
their  destination,  they  were  discovered  by  the 
captain  of  an  English  cruiser,  who  notified  Ogle- 
thorpe  of  the  impending  danger.  The  latter 
immediately  sent  intelligence  to  Governor  Glen 
of  South  Carolina,  requesting  his  military  assist- 
ance with  all  possible  expedition,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  despatched  a  sloop  to  the  West  Indies  to 
acquaint  Admiral  Vernon  with  the  expected  in- 
vasion. 

But  though  the  Carolinians  had  found  great 
advantage  from  the  settlement  of  Georgia,  and 
were  equally  interested  with  their  neighbours  in 
making  a  vigorous  defence,  they  had  but  little 
confidence  in  Oglethorpe's  abilities  after  his  un- 
successful expedition  against  St.  Augustine. 

The  inhabitants  of  Charleston  declared  against 
sending  him  any  assistance.  They  determined  to 
fortify  their  town  and  defend  themselves  upon 
their  own  ground,  leaving  Oglethorpe  to  stand  or 
fall  against  a  far  superior  force. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  general  sent  messages 
to  his  faithful  Indian  allies,  who  gathered  to  his 
assistance  in  the  hour  of  danger. 


70  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


Captain  Mclntosh's  Highlanders,  burning  to 
revenge  the  loss  of  their  companions  who  had 
been  overwhelmed  by  the  Spaniards  at  the  re- 
capture of  Fort  Moosa,  marched  from  Darien 
and  joined  Oglethorpe  on  the  first  intimation  of 
the  enemy's  approach.  With  these,  and  his  re- 
giment at  Frederica,  the  general  determined  to 
stand  his  ground,  still  hoping  for  reinforcements 
from  Carolina,  and  expecting  their  arrival  every 
hour. 

On  the  21st  of  June,  nine  sail  of  Spanish  ves- 
sels came  into  Amelia  Sound,  but  were  repulsed 
by  a  brisk  cannonade  from  Fort  William. 

When  Oglethorpe  was  advised  of  this  attack, 
he  resolved  to  support  the  fortifications  on  Cum- 
berland, and  set  out  with  a  detachment  on  board 
of  his  boats.  He  sent  Captain  Horton  with  his 
company  of  grenadiers  in  front,  and  was  himself 
obliged  to  fight  his  way,  in  two  boats,  through 
fourteen  sail  of  Spanish  vessels,  which  endea- 
voured to  intercept  him  in  St.  Andrew's  Sound. 
Owing  to  the  cowardice  of  Lieutenant  Tolson, 
who  commanded  the  boat  of  the  greatest  strength, 
and  was  afraid  to  follow  the  general,  fears  were 
entertained  for  the  safety  of  the  latter,  but  he 
succeeded  in  returning  the  next  day  to  St.  Simons. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  the  Spanish  fleet,  amount- 
ing to  thirty-six  sail,  and  carrying  upwards  of 
five  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of  Don 
Manuel  Monteano,  came  to  anchor  off  St.  Simon's 


SPANISH   ENTER   THE   HARBOUR.  71 


Bar,  where  they  remained  until  the  5th  of  July, 
sounding  the  channel.  After  finding  a  depth  of 
water  sufficient  to  float  the  ships,  they  came  in 
on  the  flood-tide.  They  were  received  with  a 
brisk  fire  from  the  batteries  and  the  vessel.  All 
the  attempts  of  the  Spaniards  to  board  the  ships 
in  the  harbour  were  repulsed  with  considerable 
loss.  In  this  engagement,  which  lasted  upwards 
of  three  hours,  the  enemy  lost  seventeen  killed 
and  ten  wounded. 

The  fleet  anchored  about  a  mile  above  Ogle- 
thorpe's  works,  on  the  south  end  of  the  island, 
hoisted  a  red  flag  at  the  mizzen  topmast  head 
of  the  largest  ship,  landed  their  forces  upon  the 
island,  and  erected  a  battery,  on  which  twenty 
eighteen-pounders  were  mounted. 

Among  their  land  forces,  they  had  a  fine  regi- 
ment of  artillery,  under  the  command  of  Don 
Antonio  de  Rodondo,  and  a  regiment  of  negroes. 
The  negro  commanders  were  clothed  in  lace,  bore 
the  same  rank  with  the  white  officers,  and  with 
equal  freedom  and  familiarity,  walked  and  con- 
versed with  the  commander- in-chief.  When  Ogle- 
thorpe  found  that  his  batteries  at  St.  Simon's  had 
become  useless,  he  spiked  the  guns,  destroyed  the 
stores,  and  fell  back  upon  his  head-quarters  at 
Frederica.  So  great  was  the  disparity  of  the 
opposing  forces,  that  he  plainly  saw  his  only 
hope  of  safety  lay  in  acting  upon  the  defensive. 
He  kept  scouting  parties  in  every  direction,  to 


72  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


watch  and  annoy  the  enemy,  while  his  main  body 
made  the  fortifications  as  strong  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  His  little  army  did  not  exceed  seven 
hundred  men.  To  animate  them  with  a  spirit  of 
perseverance,  he  exposed  himself  to  the  same 
hardships  and  fatigues  as  were  experienced  by 
the  common  soldiers. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Spaniards  had  made 
several  attempts  to  pierce  the  woods,  with  a  view 
to  attack  the  fort,  but  met  with  such  opposition 
from  the  deep  morasses  and  dark  thickets,  de- 
fended by  the  Indians  and  Highlanders,  that 
every  effort  failed  with  considerable  loss. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  the  general  was  warned 
that  a  body  of  the  enemy  had  approached  within 
two  miles  of  Frederica ;  he  ordered  four  platoons 
of  the  regiment  to  follow  him  immediately,  and 
marched  with  some  rangers,  Highlanders,  and  In- 
dians, who  were  then  under  arms,  and  attacked 
and  defeated  the  enemy,  who  lost  one  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  men  in  killed  and  prisoners. 
After  heading  the  pursuit  two  miles,  Oglethorpe 
halted  until  a  reinforcement  came  up.  He  posted 
them  with  the  Highlanders  in  a  wood,  with  a 
large  savanna  in  front,  over  which  the  Spaniards 
must  pass  on  their  way  to  Frederica,  and  then 
hastened  to  the  fort  to  have  an  additional  force 
in  readiness,  in  case  of  emergency.  By  the  time 
this  arrangement  was  completed,  three  hundred 
of  the  enemy's  best  troops  attacked  the  party  he 


THE  SPANIARDS  DEFEATED.       73 


had  left.  Oglethorpe  hurried  to  their  relief, 
rallied  three  platoons  which  had  retreated  in  dis- 
order, and  led  them  to  the  assistance  of  the  gal- 
lant Highlanders,  and  the  on'ly  platoon  -which  had 
nobly  remained  firm.  When  he  reached  them 
the  conflict  was  over,  and  the  enemy  in  retreat. 
In  this  action,  Don  Antonio  de  Barba  was  mor- 
tally wounded,  and  several  of  the  enemy  killed 
and  taken.  In  these  two  actions  and  the  pre- 
vious skirmishes,  the  Spaniards  acknowledged  a 
loss  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  men. 

On  the  12th,  an  English  prisoner  escaped  from 
the  Spaniards,  and  brought  advice  to  Oglethorpe 
of  a  difference  subsisting  between  the  troops  from 
Cuba  and  those  from  St.  Augustine ;  and  that  in 
consequence  of  this  misunderstanding,  they  en- 
camped in  separate  places.  Oglethorpe  instantly 
decided  to  attempt  a  surprise  upon  one  of  the  en- 
campments. With  the  advantage  of  his  knowledge 
of  the  woods,  he  marched  out  in  the  night,  with 
three  hundred  regular  troops,  the  Highland  com- 
pany, rangers,  and  Indians.  Having  advanced 
within  two  miles  of  the  enemy's  camp,  he  halted, 
and  set  forward  with  a  small  party  to  reconnoitre 
their  position.  While  most  desirous  of  conceal- 
ing his  approach,  a  Frenchman  from  his  party 
fired  his  musket,  deserted  to  the  enemy,  and  gave 
the  alarm.  Oglethorpe,  finding  his  design  thus 
defeated,  thought  it  prudent  to  return  to  Frede- 
rica.  Apprehensive  that  the  traitor  would  dis- 
7 


74  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

cover  his  weakness  to  the  enemy,  he  resorted  to 
a  stratagem,  with  the  hope  of  shaking  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Spaniards  in  the  deserter's  story. 
For  this  purpose  he  wrote  a  letter,  and  addressed 
it  to  the  Frenchman,  in  which  he  desired  him  to 
acquaint  the  Spaniards  of  the  defenceless  condi- 
tion of  Frederica,  and  how  easy  and  practicable 
it  would  be  to  cut  him  and  his  small  garrison  to 
pieces.  He  requested  the  deserter  to  use  every 
art  in  urging  them  forward  to  an  attack,  and  to 
assure  them  of  success.  If  he  could  not  prevail 
upon  them  to  make  the  attempt,  he  was  to  use 
every  influential  argument  to  detain  them  two  or 
three  days  longer  upon  the  island,  as  within  that 
time  he  (Oglethorpe)  would  receive  a  reinforce- 
ment of  two  thousand  land  forces,  and  six  British 
ships  of  war.  lie  closed  this  letter  by  cautioning 
the  renegade  not  to  subject  himself  to  suspicion, 
reminding  him  of  the  great  reward  he  was  to  re- 
ceive in  the  event  of  success  attending  the  plan, 
and  urging  the  necessity  of  profound  silence  re- 
specting Admiral  Vernon's  intentions  against  St. 
Augustine.  This  letter  was  given  by  Oglethorpe 
to  one  of  the  Spanish  prisoners,  who,  for  the  sake 
of  liberty  and  a  small  reward,  promised  to  deliver 
it  to  the  French  deserter  privately,  and  conceal 
the  circumstance  from  every  other  person.  With 
these  injunctions,  the  soldier  was  liberated,  and, 
as  Oglethorpe  wished  and  expected,  the  letter 
was  delivered  to  the  Spanish  commander-in-chief. 


OGLETHORPE'S  STRATAGEM.  75 

The  conjectures  and  speculations  occasioned  by 
this  letter  were  various  ;  and  the  Spanish  com- 
mandant was  not  a  little  perplexed  to  know  what 
inference  he  ought  to  draw  from  it. 

In  the  first  place,  he  ordered  the  supposed  spy 
to  be  placed  in  irons  to  prevent  his  escape,  and 
then  called  a  council  of  war  to  consider  what  was 
most  proper  to  be  done,  in  consequence  of  intel- 
ligence so  puzzling  and  alarming.  Some  officers 
were  of  opinion  that  the  letter  was  intended  as  a 
deception  to  prevent  them  from  attacking  Frede- 
rica ;  others  thought  that  the  circumstances  men- 
tioned in  it  wore  such  an  appearance  of  truth, 
that  there  were  good  grounds  to  believe  that  the 
English  general  wished  them  to  take  place,  and, 
therefore,  gave  their  voice  for  consulting  the 
safety  of  St.  Augustine,  and  relinquishing  a  plan 
of  conquest  attended  with  so  many  difficulties,  and 
putting  to  hazard  the  loss  of  both  army  and 
fleet,  and  perhaps  the  whole  province  of  East 
Florida. 

While  the  Spanish  officers  were  employed  in 
these  embarrassing  deliberations,  three  vessels  of 
small  force,  which  the  Governor  of  Carolina  had 
sent  out  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  enemy,  ap- 
peared at  some  distance  on  the  coast.  This,  cor- 
responding with  part  of  Oglethorpe's  letter,  in- 
duced the  Spanish  commander  to  give  credit  to 
its  entire  contents.  It  was,  therefore,  determined 
to  attack  Oglethorpe  at  his  stronghold  at  Frede- 


76  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


rica  before  the  expected  reinforcement  should 
arrive  ;  and  accordingly  the  whole  Spanish  army 
was  put  in  motion. 

Captain  Noble  Jones,  with  a  detachment  of 
regulars  and  Indians,  being  out  on  a  scouting 
party,  fell  in  with  a  small  detachment  of  the 
enemy's  advance,  who  were  surprised  and  made 
prisoners,  not  deeming  themselves  so  far  in  front 
of  the  main  army.  From  these  prisoners  infor- 
mation was  received  that  the  whole  Spanish  army 
was  advancing :  this  was  immediately  communi- 
cated by  an  Indian  runner  to  the  general,  who 
detached  Captain  Dunbar  with  a  company  of 
grenadiers,  to  join  the  regulars  and  Indians,  with 
orders  to  harass  the  enemy  on  their  approach. 
These  detachments,  having  formed  a  junction,  ob- 
served at  a  distance  the  Spanish  army  on  the 
march ;  and,  taking  a  favourable  position  near  a 
marsh,  formed  an  ambuscade. 

The  enemy  fortunately  halted  within  a  hun- 
dred paces  of  this  position,  stacked  their  arms, 
made  fires,  and  were  preparing  their  kettles  for 
cooking,  when  a  horse  observed  some  of  the  party 
in  ambuscade,  and  frightened  at  the  uniform  of 
the  regulars,  began  to  snort  and  gave  the  alarm. 
The  Spaniards  ran  to  their  arms,  but  were  shot 
down  in  great  numbers  by  Oglethorpe's  detach- 
ment, who  continued  invisible  to  the  enemy. 
After  repeated  attempts  to  form,  in  which  some 
of  their  principal  officers  fell,  they  fled  with  the 


BLOODY   MARSH.  77 


utmost  precipitation,  leaving  their  camp  equipage 
on  the  field,  and  never  halted  until  they  had  got 
under  cover  of  the  guns  of  their  battery  and 
ships.  General  Oglethorpe  had  detached  Major 
Horton  with  a  reinforcement,  who  arrived  only 
in  time  to  join  in  the  pursuit. 

So  complete  was  the  surprise  of  the  enemy, 
that  many  fled  without  their  arms ;  others  in  a 
rapid  retreat,  discharged  their  muskets  over  their 
shoulders  at  their  pursuers ;  and  many  were 
killed  by  the  loaded  arms  which  were  left  on  the 
ground.  Generally  the  Spaniards  fired  so  much 
at  random  that  the  trees  were  pruned  by  the  balls 
from  their  muskets.  Their  loss  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  prisoners,  was  estimated  at  five  hundred.  The 
loss  in  Oglethorpe's  detachment  was  very  incon- 
siderable. From  the  signal  victory  obtained  over 
the  enemy  and  the  great  slaughter  among  the 
Spanish  troops,  the  scene  of  action  just  described 
has  ever  since  been  denominated  the  "Bloody 
Marsh."  On  the  14th,  the  Spaniards  burned 
all  the  works  and  houses  on  the  south  end  of  St. 
Simon's  and  Jekyl  Islands.  They  then  sailed  to 
the  southward,  with  Oglethorpe  following  close 
on  their  rear.  At  daylight,  twenty-eight  sail  of 
the  Spanish  line  appeared  off  Fort  William,  which 
was  commanded  by  Ensign  Stuart.  Fourteen  of 
these  vessels  came  into  the  harbour,  and  de- 
manded a  surrender  of  the  garrison :  Stuart  re- 
plied, that  it  should  not  be  surrendered,  nor 
7* 


78  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


could  it  be  taken.  They  attacked  the  works 
from  their  galleys  and  other  vessels,  and  attempted 
to  land,  but  were  repulsed  by  a  small  party  of 
rangers  who  had  arrived  by  a  forced  march  down 
the  island.  Stuart,  with  only  sixty  men,  defended 
the  fort  with  such  bravery,  that  after  an  assault 
of  three  hours,  the  enemy  discovered  the  approach 
of  Oglethorpe,  and  put  to  sea  with  considerable 
loss.  Two  galleys  were  disabled  and  abandoned, 
and  the  Governor  of  St.  Augustine  proceeded 
with  his  troops  by  the  inland  passage.  Ensign 
Stuart  was  rewarded,  by  promotion,  for  the  bra- 
very of  his  defence. 

Thus  was  the  province  of  Georgia  delivered, 
when  brought  to  the  very  brink  of  destruction 
by  a  formidable  enemy.  Don  Manuel  de  Mon- 
teano  had  been  fifteen  days  on  the  small  island 
of  St.  Simon's,  without  gaining  the  least  advan- 
tage over  a  handful  of  men ;  and  in  the  several 
skirmishes,  had  lost  a  considerable  number  of  his 
best  troops;  while  Oglethorpe's  loss  was  very 
inconsiderable. 

When  the  Spanish  troops  returned  to  the  Ha- 
vana, their  commander  was  arrested  and  tried 
by  a  court-martial,  found  guilty,  and  dismissed 
with  disgrace,  for  his  improper  conduct  on  an 
expedition,  the  result  of  which  proved  so  shame- 
ful and  inglorious  to  the  Spanish  arms. 

The  Carolinians,  surprised  at  a  success  so  tri- 
umphant, achieved  without  their  assistance,  were 


CALUMNIOUS   CHARGES.  79 


still  divided  in  their  opinions  respecting  the  mili- 
tary character  of  Oglethorpe.  The  more  magna- 
nimous among  them  acknowledged  his  signal 
services,  and  poured  out  the  highest  encomiums 
on  his  courage  and  military  skill.  There  were 
others,  however,  who  still  continued  to  censure 
his  conduct  and  detract  from  his  merit.  The 
authorities  of  South  Carolina  neither  praised  nor 
blamed.  The  Governors  of  New  York,  New  Jer- 
sey, Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  North 
Carolina,  congratulated  the  general  in  the  warm- 
est terms,  and  offered  their  humble  thanks  to  the 
Supreme  Governor  of  the  universe  for  placing 
the  fate  of  the  southern  colonies  under  the  direc- 
tion of  one  so  well  qualified  for  the  important 
task. 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  glorious  achievements, 
envy  and  detraction  busied  themselves  with  de- 
faming his  honour  and  integrity.  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Cook  exhibited  nineteen  charges  against 
him,  and  named  several  officers  and  citizens  in 
Georgia,  who  were  to  be  summoned  to  prove  his 
guilt.  Indignant  at  the  calumnious  misrepresen- 
tations of  his  accuser,  Oglethorpe  embarked  for 
England,  and  reached  there  in  1743.  A  general 
court-martial  was  ordered  for  his  trial ;  several 
days  were  spent  in  examining  the  various  articles 
of  complaint  lodged  against  him,  and,  after  the 
most  mature  deliberation,  the  court  adjudged  the 
charges  to  be  false,  malicious,  and  groundless; 


80  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


and  his  honourable  acquittal  was  reported  to  the 
king.  Lieutenant-colonel  Cook  was  dismissed 
from  the  service  in  consequence,  and  declared 
incapable  of  serving  his  majesty  in  any  military 
capacity  whatever.  Oglethorpe  never  afterward 
returned  to  Georgia ;  but  upon  all  occasions,  zeal- 
ously exerted  himself  in  behalf  of  its  prosperity 
and  improvement. 

From  its  first  settlement,  the  colony  had  been 
under  a  military  government,  executed  by  the 
general  and  such  officers  as  he  chose  to  appoint. 
But  now  the  trustees  thought  proper  to  establish 
a  sort  of  civil  government,  and  committed  the 
charge  of  it  to  a  president  and  four  councillors 
or  assistants,  who  were  to  act  agreeably  to  the 
instructions  they  should  receive  from  the  trus- 
tees ;  and  to  be  accountable  to  them  for  their 
public  conduct.  Under  these  new  regulations, 
William  Stephens  received  the  appointment  of 
president. 


SLAVERY  INTRODUCED.  81 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Slavery  introduced — Daring  scheme  of  Thomas  Bosomworth — 
Malatche  made  Emperor  of  the  Creeks — Signs  a  deed  to  Mary 
Bosomworth  for  the  Indian  reserved  lands — Mary  assumes 
the  title  of  empress — She  threatens  destruction  to  the  colony 
— March  of  the  Creeks — The  president  prepares  for  defence 
— The  Indians  reach  Savannah — Bosomworth  and  Mary 
seized  and  confined. 

AFTER  the  signal  defeat  of  the  Spaniards,  the 
affairs  of  the  province  passed  on  without  any  im- 
portant occurrences  for  several  years.  The  cul- 
tivation of  the  vine  and  mulberry,  being  found 
unprofitable,  was  neglected,  although  the  trustees 
made  strenuous  efforts  to  encourage  the  manu- 
facture of  silk  by  offers  of  bounty  for  its  pro- 
duction. 

After  bearing  with  the  unceasing  complaints 
of  the  colonists  for  a  long  time,  the  restrictions 
placed  upon  the  introduction  of  slaves  were  par- 
tially abandoned ;  and,  although  slavery  had  not 
yet  been  formally  introduced  into  the  province, 
the  planters  were  tacitly  permitted  to  hire  negro 
servants  in  Carolina.  Finding  that  this  plan  of 
evading  the  law  succeeded,  negroes  were  hired 
for  a  hundred  years,  or  during  life,  and  a  sum 
equal  to  the  value  of  the  slave  paid  in  advance  ; 


82  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 


the  former  owner  in  Carolina  binding  himself  to 
exhibit  his  claim  whenever  the  Georgian  authori- 
ties should  interfere.  Finally,  purchases  were 
openly  made  in  Savannah;  some  seizures  took 
place,  but  the  magistrates  and  the  courts  for  the 
most  part  joined  in  evading  the  operation  of  the 
law.  Matters  had  now  reached  a  crisis.  The 
trustees,  finding  that  any  further  resistance  to 
the  introduction  of  slavery  would  endanger  the 
peace  and  prosperity  of  the  colony,  yielded  to 
the  publicly  expressed  wishes  of  a  majority  of 
the  people,  and  in  the  year  1747  all  previous 
restraints  upon  the  purchase  of  negroes  were 
removed.  In  December  of  this  year,  a  daring 
scheme  of  self-aggrandizement  was  devised  by  a 
clergyman  named  Bosomworth,  which  came  very 
nearly  involving  the  destruction  of  the  whole 
province. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  at  the  first  settle- 
ment of  the  colony,  Oglethorpe  had  employed  a 
half-breed  woman,  called  Mary  Musgrove,  as  an 
interpreter  between  himself  and  the  Creeks.  By 
the  generosity  of  Oglethorpe,  who  had  allowed 
her  a  liberal  salary  for  her  services,  she  obtained 
great  influence  over  the  minds  of  the  Indians. 
After  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  Bosom- 
worth,  who  had  been  a  chaplain  in  Oglethorpe's 
regiment,  married  this  woman,  and  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  respect  in  which  she  was  held  by  the 
neighbouring  tribes,  conceived  a  plan  of  acquiring, 


BOSOMWORTH'S  SCHEME.  83 


through  her  means,  a  fortune  equal  to  any  in 
America. 

An  Indian  king,  by  the  name  of  Malatche,  of 
an  age  and  standing  in  the  Creek  nation  well 
suited  to  Bosomworth's  purpose,  was  present  at 
Frederica  with  sixteen  others,  who  called  them- 
selves kings  and  chiefs  of  the  different  towns. 
While  at  Frederica,  Bosomworth  suggested  to 
Malatche  the  idea  of  having  himself  crowned  by 
his  companions.  Accordingly,  a  paper  was  drawn 
up,  acknowledging  Malatche  Opiya  Meco  to  be 
the  rightful  natural  prince  and  emperor  of  the 
dominions  of  the  Creek  nation ;  vesting  him  with 
power  to  declare  war,  make  laws,  frame  treaties, 
convey  lands,  and  transact  all  affairs  relating  to 
the  nation ;  the  chiefs  binding  themselves,  on  the 
part  of  their  several  towns,  to  abide  by  and  fulfil 
all  his  contracts  and  engagements. 

This  paper  having  been  duly  signed  and  wit- 
nessed, Bosomworth  obtained  a  deed  in  the  name 
of  Mary,  his  wife,  from  Malatche  for  all  the  islands 
and  lands  reserved  by  the  Indians  in  their  first 
treaty  with  Oglethorpe. 

For  two  years  after  the  making  of  this  deed, 
Bosomworth  remained  silently  waiting  an  oppor- 
tunity to  profit  by  it.  In  1749,  he  determined 
that  his  wife  should  assert  her  claim  to  the  Indian 
reservations  of  the  islands  of  Sapelo,  Ossabaw, 
and  St.  Catharine's.  To  render  this  claim  still 
stronger,  he  encouraged  his  wife  into  the  pretence 


84  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


of  being  the  eldest  sister  of  Malatche,  and  of 
having  descended  in  a  maternal  line  from  an 
Indian  king,  who  held  from  nature  the  whole 
territory  of  the  Creek. 

Accordingly,  Mary  assumed  the  title  of  an  in- 
dependent empress,  and  disavowed  all  allegiance 
or  subjection  to  the  King  of  Great  Britain, 
otherwise  than  by  way  of  treaty  and  alliance.  She 
summoned  a  meeting  of  all  the  Creeks,  to  whom 
she  set  forth  the  justice  of  her  claim,  and  the 
great  injury  they  had  sustained  by  the  loss  of 
their  territories,  and  urged  them  to  a  defence  of 
their  rights  by  force  of  arms. 

The  Indians,  thus  artfully  addressed,  rose  up, 
and  pledged  themselves,  to  a  man,  to  stand  by 
her  to  the  last  drop  of  their  blood,  in  defence  of 
her  royal  person  and  their  lands.  Thus  sup- 
ported by  the  whole  force  of  the  tribe,  Queen 
Mary,  escorted  by  a  large  body  of  her  savage 
subjects,  set  out  for  Savannah,  to  demand  from 
the  president  and  council  a  formal  acknowledg- 
ment of  her  rights  in  the  province. 

President  Stephens  and  his  council,  alarmed 
at  her  high  pretensions  and  bold  threats,  and 
sensible  of  her  influence  with  the  Indians,  from 
her  having  been  made  a  woman  of  consequence 
as  an  interpreter,  were  not  a  little  embarrassed 
as  to  what  steps  to  take  for  the  public  safety. 
They  thought  it  best  to  use  soft  and  healing 
measures  until  an  opportunity  might  offer  of 


INDIANS   ENTER  SAVANNAH.  85 


privately  laying  hold  of  her  and  shipping  her  off 
to  England. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  militia  were  ordered  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  march  to  Savan- 
nah, at  the  shortest  notice.  The  town  was  put 
in  the  best  possible  state  of  defence,  but  its  whole 
force  amounted  to  only  one  hundred  and  seventy 
men  able  to  bear  arms.  A  message  was  sent  to 
Mary,  while  she  was  yet  several  miles  distant 
from  Savannah  at  the  head  of  her  mighty  host, 
to  know  whether  she  was  serious  in  such  wild 
pretensions,  and  try  the  influence  of  persuasion 
to  induce  her  to  dismiss  her  followers  and  drop 
her  audacious  design ;  but  finding  her  inflexible 
and  resolute,  the  president  resolved  to  put  on  a 
bold  countenance,  and  receive  the  savages  with 
firmness  and  resolution. 

The  militia  were  ordered  under  arms  to  over- 
awe them  as  much  as  possible ;  and  as  the  Indians 
entered  the  town,  Captain  Noble  Jones,  at  the 
head  of  a  troop  of  horse,  stopped  them,  and  de- 
manded whether  their  visit  was  with  hostile  or 
friendly  intentions ;  but  receiving  no  satisfactory 
answer,  he  required  them  to  ground  their  arms, 
declaring  that  he  had  orders  not  to  suffer  one 
armed  Indian  to  set  foot  in  the  town,  and  that 
he  was  determined  to  enforce  the  orders  at  the 
risk  of  his  own  life  and  that  of  his  troops. 

The  savages  with  great  reluctance  submitted ; 
and,  accordingly,  Thomas  Bosomworth,  in  his 


86  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

canonical  robes,  with  his  queen  by  his  side,  fol- 
lowed by  the  kings  and  chiefs  according  to  rank, 
marched  into  the  town  on  the  20th  of  July, 
making  a  most  formidable  appearance. 

The  inhabitants  were  struck  with  terror  at  the 
eight  of  this  ferocious  tribe  of  savages.  When 
they  advanced  to  the  parade,  they  found  the 
militia  drawn  up  under  arms  to  receive  them,  by 
whom  they  were  saluted  with  fifteen  cannon,  and 
conducted  to  the  president's  house.  Bosomworth 
being  ordered  to  withdraw,  the  Indian  chiefs  in 
a  friendly  manner  were  required  to  declare  their 
intention  in  paying  this  visit  in  so  large  a  body, 
without  being  sent  for  by  any  person  in  authority. 
The  warriors,  as  they  had  been  instructed,  an- 
swered that  Mary  was  to  speak  for  them,  and 
that  they  would  abide  by  whatever  she  said  ;  that 
they  had  heard  that  she  was  to  be  sent  like  a 
captive  over  the  great  waters,  and  they  were 
come  to  know  on  what  account  they  were  to  lose 
their  queen;  that  they  intended  no  harm,  and 
begged  that  their  arms  might  be  restored  to  them ; 
and  after  consulting  with  Bosomworth  and  his 
wife,  they  would  return  and  amicably  settle  all 
public  affairs.  To  please  them,  their  guns  were 
accordingly  returned,  but  strict  orders  were  issued 
to  allow  them  no  ammunition,  until  the  council 
should  see  more  clearly  into  their  dark  designs. 

On  the  day  following,  the  Indian's^  having  had 
some  private  conferences  with  Mary,  were  ob- 


BOSOMWORTH   AND   MARY   CONFINED.         87 


served  to  march  in  a  tumultuous  manner  through 
the  streets,  evidencing  a  hostile  temper,  and  ap- 
parently determined  on  mischief.  All  the  men 
being  obliged  to  mount  guard,  the  women  and 
children  were  terrified  and  afraid  to  remain  in 
the  houses  by  themselves,  expecting  every  moment 
to  be  murdered  and  scalped.  During  this  con- 
fusion, a  false  rumour  was  circulated,  that  they 
had  cut  off  President  Stephens's  head  with  a 
tomahawk,  which  so  exasperated  the  inhabitants 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  the  officers  could  re- 
strain the  troops  from  firing  upon  the  savages : 
perhaps  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  prudence 
was  never  more  requisite  to  save  the  town  from 
being  deluged  with  blood.  Orders  were  given 
to  lay  hold  of  Bosomworth,  to  whom  it  was  in- 
sinuated that  he  was  marked  as  the  first  victim 
of  vengeance  in  case  of  extremities ;  and  he  was 
carried  out  of  the  way  and  closely  confined, 
upon  which  Mary,  his  beloved  queen,  became 
outrageous  and  frantic,  and  threatened  the 
thunder  of  her  vengeance  against  the  magis- 
trates and  the  whole  colony.  She  ordered  all 
white  persons  to  depart  immediately  from  her 
territories,  and  at  their  peril  to  refuse ;  she  cursed 
Oglethorpe  and  his  fraudulent  treaties,  and  furi- 
ously stamping  her  foot  upon  the  earth,  swore 
that  the  whole  globe  should  know  that  the  ground 
she  stood  upon  was  her  own.  To  prevent  any 
ascendency  by  bribes  over  the  chiefs  and  war- 


88  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

riors,  she  kept  the  leading  men  constantly  un- 
der her  eye,  and  would  not  suffer  them  to 
utter  a  sentence  on  public  affairs,  but  in  her  pre- 
sence. 

The  president,  finding  that  no  peaceable  agree- 
ment could  be  made  with  the  Indians  while  under 
the  baleful  influence  of  their  pretended  queen, 
privately  laid  hold  of  her,  and  put  her  with  her 
husband  in  confinement.  This  step  was  found 
necessary,  before  any  reasonable  terms  of  nego- 
ciation  would  be  heard. 

Having  secured  the  royal  family,  who  were  un- 
questionably the  promoters  of  the  conspiracy,  the 
president  employed  men  acquainted  with  the  In- 
dian tongue  to  entertain  the  warriors  in  the  most 
friendly  and  hospitable  manner,  and  directed  that 
explanations  should  be  made  to  them  of  the 
wicked  designs  of  Bosomworth  and  his  wife.  Ac- 
cordingly a  feast  was  prepared  for  all  the  chiefs 
and  leading  warriors,  at  which  they  were  in- 
formed that  Bosomworth  had  involved  himself  in 
debts  which  he  was  unable  to  pay,  and  that  he 
wanted  not  only  their  lands,  but  a  large  share  of 
the  king's  presents,  which  had  been  sent  over  for 
the  chiefs  and  warriors ;  that  his  object  was  to 
satisfy  his  creditors  in  Carolina  at  their  expense ; 
that  the  king's  presents  were  only  intended  for 
the  Indians,  as  a  compensation  for  their  useful 
services  and  firm  attachment  to  him  during  the 
war  against  their  common  enemy ;  and  that  the 


A   TALK   WITH   THE  INDIANS.  89 


lands  adjoining  the  town  were  reserved  for  them  to 
encamp  upon  when  they  should  come  to  visit  their 
beloved  friends  in  Savannah,  and  the  three  mari- 
time islands  to  fish  and  hunt  upon  when  they 
should  come  to  bathe  in  the  salt  waters :  that 
neither  Mary  nor  her  husband  had  any  right  to 
those  lands,  but  that  they  were  the  common  pro- 
perty of  the  whole  nation :  that  the  great  King 
George  had  ordered  the  president  to  defend  their 
right  to  them,  and  expected  that  all  his  subjects, 
both  white  and  red,  would  live  together  like  breth- 
ren, and  that  the  great  king  would  suffer  no  one 
to  molest  or  injure  them ;  and  had  ordered  these 
words  to  be  left  on  record,  that  they  might  not  be 
forgotten  by  their  descendants,  when  they  were 
dead  and  gone. 

This  policy  produced  a  temporary  effect,  and 
many  of  the  chiefs,  being  convinced  that  Bosom- 
worth  had  deceived  them,  declared  they  would  no 
longer  be  governed  by  his  advice :  even  Malatche, 
the  leader  of  the  lower  Creeks,  and  the  pretended 
relation  of  Mary,  seemed  satisfied,  and  was  not  a 
little  pleased  to  hear  that  the  king  had  sent  them 
some  valuable  presents.  Being  asked  why  he 
acknowledged  Mary  as  the  empress  of  the  great 
nation  of  the  Creeks,  and  resigned  his  power  and 
possessions  to  a  despicable  old  woman,  while  he 
was  universally  recognised  as  the  great  chief  of 
the  nation,  and  that  too  at  the  very  time  when 
the  president  and  council  were  to  give  him  many 
8* 


90  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

rich  clothes  and  medals  for  his  services, — he  re- 
plied, that  the  whole  nation  acknowledged  her  as 
their  queen,  and  none  could  distribute  the  royal 
presents  hut  herself,  or  one  of  her  family,  as  had 
been  done  heretofore. 

The  president,  by  this  answer,  saw  more  clearly 
the  design  of  Bosomworth's  family.  To  lessen 
their  influence  and  consequence,  and  show  the 
Indians  that  he  had  power  to  divide  the  royal 
bounty  among  the  chiefs,  he  determined  to  take 
the  task  upon  himself,  and  immediately  dismiss 
them,  on  account  of  the  growing  expenses  of  the 
colony,  and  the  hardships  the  people  underwent 
in  keeping  guard  night  and  day  for  the  defence 
of  the  town. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Fickleness  of  Malatche — His  speech — The  president's  reply 
— Bosomworth  and  Mary  threaten  vengeance  against  the 
colony — The  Indians  prevailed  on  to  return  home — Bosom, 
worth  and  Mary  released — Bosomworth  reasserts  his  claims 
by  a  suit  at  law — Decision  of  the  English  Courts — Another 
suit  instituted. 

IN  the  mean  time,  Malatche,  whom  the  Indians 
compared  to  the  wind,  because  of  his  fickle  and 
variable  temper,  having  at  his  own  request  ob- 
tained admission  to  Bosomworth  and  his  wife,  was 
again  drawn  over  to  support  their  chimerical 
claims.  While  the  Indians  were  gathered  to- 


MALATCHE'S  SPEECH.  91 

gether  to  receive  their  respective  shares  of  the 
royal  bounty,  he  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  them 
with  a  frowning  countenance,  and  in  violent  agi- 
tation delivered  a  speech  fraught  with  the  most 
dangerous  insinuations  and  threats.  He  declared 
that  Mary  possessed  the  country  before  General 
Oglethorpe ;  that  all  the  lands  belonged  to  her 
as  queen  and  head  of  the  Creeks ;  that  it  was  by 
her  consent  that  Englishmen  were  at  first  permit- 
ted to  settle  on  them ;  that  they  still  held  the 
land  as  her  tenants  at  will ;  that  her  words  were 
the  voice  of  the  whole  nation,  consisting  of  three 
thousand  warriors,  every  man  of  whom  would 
raise  the  hatchet  in  defence  of  her  rightful  claim. 
Then  pulling  a  paper  out  of  his  pocket,  he  de- 
livered it  to  the  president  in  confirmation  of  what 
he  had  said.  This  was  evidently  the  production 
of  Bosomworth,  and  served  to  discover  in  the 
plainest  manner  his  ambitious  views  and  wicked 
intrigues.  The  preamble  was  filled  with  the 
names  of  Indians,  called  kings  of  all  the  towns  in 
the  upper  and  lower  Creeks,  none  of  whom,  how- 
ever, were  present  except  two.  The  substance 
of  the  paper  corresponded  with  Malatche's  speech, 
styling  Mary  the  rightful  princess  of  the  whole 
nation,  invested  with  full  power  and  authority  to 
settle  and  finally  determine  all  public  affairs  and 
causes  relative  to  land  and  other  things,  with  King 
George  and  his  men  on  both  sides  of  the  sea ;  and 
asserting  that  whatever  should  be  done  by  her, 


92  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

they  would  abide  by  as  if  done  by  themselves. 
Bosomworth  probably  did  not  intend  that  this 
paper  should  have  been  shown,  nor  was  Malatche 
aware  of  the  consequences  of  putting  it  in  the 
hands  of  the  president. 

After  reading  this  paper  in  council,  the  mem- 
bers were  struck  with  astonishment ;  and  Malat- 
che, perceiving  their  uneasiness,  begged  to  have 
it  again,  declaring  that  he  did  not  know  it  was  a 
bad  talk,  and  promising  that  he  would  imme- 
diately return  it  to  the  person  from  whom  he 
had  received  it.  To  remove  all  impressions  made 
on  the  minds  of  the  Indians  by  Malatche's  speech, 
and  convince  them  of  the  deceitful  and  danger- 
ous tendency  of  this  confederacy,  into  which 
Bosomworth  and  his  wife  had  betrayed  them, 
had  now  become  a  matter  of  the  highest  conse- 
quence :  happy  was  it  for  the  province,  that  this, 
though  difficult,  was  practicable.  As  ignorant 
savages  were  easily  misled  on  the  one  side,  it 
was  practicable  to  convince  them  of  their  error 
on  the  other.  Accordingly,  having  gathered  the 
Indians  together,  the  president  determined  to 
adopt  a  bold  and  decided  tone,  and  addressed  them 
with  the  following  speech : — 

"  Friends  and  brothers : — When  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe  and  his  people  first  arrived  in  Georgia, 
they  found  Mary,  then  the  wife  of  John  Mus- 
grove,  living  in  a  small  hut  at  Yamacraw;  he 
had  a  license  from  the  Governor  of  South  Caro- 


A   TALK   WITH   THE   INDIANS.  93 


Una  to  trade  with  the  Indians ;  she  then  ap- 
peared to  be  in  a  poor  ragged  condition,  and  was 
neglected  and  despised  by  the  Creeks ;  but  Gene- 
ral Oglethorpe,  finding  that  she  could  speak  both 
the  English  and  Creek  languages,  employed  her 
as  an  interpreter,  richly  clothed  her,  and  made 
her  a  woman  of  the  consequence  she  now  ap- 
pears ;  the  people  of  Georgia  always  respected 
her  until  she  married  Bosomworth,  but  from  that 
time  she  has  proved  a  liar  and  a  deceiver.  In 
fact,  she  was  no  relation  of  Malatche,  but  the 
daughter  of  an  Indian  woman  of  no  note,  and  a 
white  man.  General  Oglethorpe  did  not  treat 
with  her  for  the  lands  of  Georgia,  for  she  had 
none ;  but  with  the  old  and  wise  leaders  of  the 
Creek  nation,  who  voluntarily  surrendered  their 
territories  to  the  king ;  the  Indians  at  that  time 
having  much  waste  land,  which  was  useless  to 
themselves,  parted  with  a  share  of  it  to  their 
friends,  and  were  glad  that  white  people  had  set- 
tled among  them  to  supply  their  wants.  He  told 
them  that  the  present  discontents  of  the  Creeks 
had  been  artfully  infused  into  them  by  Mary,  at 
the  instigation  of  her  husband  ;  that  he  demanded 
a  third  part  of  the  royal  bounty,  in  order  to  rob 
the  naked  Indians  of  their  right;  that  he  had 
quarrelled  with  the  president  and  council  of 
Georgia,  for  refusing  to  answer  his  exorbitant 
demands,  and  therefore  had  filled  the  heads  of 
the  Indians  with  wild  fancies  and  groundless 


94  HISTORY  OP  GEORGIA. 


jealousies,  in  order  to  ferment  mischief,  and  in- 
duce them  to  break  their  alliance  with  their  best 
friends,  who  alone  were  able  to  supply  their 
wants  and  defend  them  against  their  enemies." 

Here  the  Indians  desired  him  to  stop,  and  put 
an  end  to  the  contest,  declaring  that  their  eyes 
were  now  opened,  and  that  they  saw  through  the 
insidious  design  of  Bosomworth ;  but  though  he 
desired  to  break  the  chain  of  friendship,  they 
were  determined  to  hold  it  fast  and  disappoint 
him ;  and  begged,  therefore,  that  all  might  smoke 
the  pipe  of  peace.  Accordingly,  pipes  and  rum 
were  brought,  and  they  joined  hand  in  hand, 
drank  and  smoked  together  in  friendship,  every 
one  wishing  that  their  hearts  might  be  united  in 
like  manner  as  their  hands.  The  royal  presents, 
except  ammunition,  with  which  it  was  judged  im- 
prudent to  trust  them,  until  they  were  some  dis- 
tance from  town,  were  brought  and  distributed 
among  them ;  the  most  disaffected  and  influential 
received  the  largest  presents:  even  Malatche 
himself  seemed  fully  satisfied  with  his  share,  and 
the  savages  in  general,  perceiving  the  poverty 
and  insignificancy  of  Bosomworth  and  his  wife, 
and  their  total  inability  to  supply  their  wants, 
apparently  determined  to  break  off  all  connection 
with  them. 

While  the  president  and  council  were  congra- 
tulating themselves  on  the  re-establishment  of 
friendly  intercourse  with  the  Creeks,  Mary, 


EXCITING   SCENE.  95 

drunk  with  liquor,  and  disappointed  in  her  royal 
views,  rushed  in  among  them  like  a  fury,  and 
told  the  president  that  these  were  her  people, 
that  he  had  no  business  with  them,  and  that  he 
should  soon  be  convinced  of  it  to  his  cost.  The 
president  calmly  advised  her  to  retire  to  her  lodg- 
ings and  forbear  to  poison  the  minds  of  the  In- 
dians, otherwise  he  would  order  her  again  into 
close  confinement.  Upon  this,  she  turned  about 
to  Malatche  in  great  rage,  and  repeated,  with 
some  ill-natured  comments,  what  the  president 
had  said.  Malatche  started  from  his  seat,  laid 
hold  of  his  arms,  and,  calling  upon  the  rest  to 
follow  his  example,  dared  any  man  to  touch  the 
queen. 

The  whole  house  was  filled  in  a  moment  with 
tumult  and  uproar.  Every  Indian  having  his 
tomahawk  in  his  hand,  the  president  and  council 
expected  nothing  but  instant  death.  During 
this  confusion,  Captain  Jones,  who  commanded 
the  guard,  very  seasonably  interposed,  and 
ordered  the  Indians  immediately  to  surrender 
their  arms.  Such  courage  was  not  the  only  re- 
quisite to  overawe  them ;  great  prudence  was,  at 
the  same  time,  necessary,  to  avoid  coming  to 
extremities.  With  reluctance  the  Indians  sub- 
mitted, and  Mary  was  conveyed  to  a  private 
room,  where  a  guard  was  placed  over  her,  and 
all  further  communication  with  the  Indians  de- 
nied to  her  during  their  stay  in  Savannah.  Her 


96  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


husband  was  sent  for,  in  order  to  reason  with 
him  and  convince  him  of  the  folly  of  his  chi- 
merical pretensions,  and  of  the  dangerous  conse- 
quences which  might  result  from  his  persisting  in 
them ;  hut  no  sooner  did  he  appear  before  the 
president  and  the  council,  than  he  became  out- 
rageously abusive,  and  in  defiance  of  every  argu- 
ment which  was  used  to  persuade  him  to  submis- 
sion, he  remained  contumacious,  and  protested 
he  would  stand  forth  in  vindication  of  his  wife's 
right  to  the  last  extremity,  and  that  the  province 
of  Georgia  should  soon  feel  the  weight  of  her 
power  and  vengeance. 

Such  conduct  justly  merited  a  course  which  it 
would  have  been  impolitic  in  the  council  to  pur- 
sue ;  but  finding  that  fair  means  were  fruitless 
and  ineffectual,  they  determined  to  remove  him 
out  of  the  way  of  the  Indians  until  they  were 
gone,  and  then  humble  him  by  force. 

After  having  secured  the  two  leaders,  it  only 
remained  to  persuade  the  Indians  to  leave  the 
town  and  return  to  their  homes.  Captain  Ellick, 
a  young  warrior,  who  had  distinguished  himself 
in  discovering  to  his  tribe  the  base  intrigues  of 
Bosomworth,  being  afraid  to  accompany  Ma- 
latche  and  his  followers,  consulted  his  safety  by 
setting  out  among  the  first.  The  rest  followed 
him  in  different  parties,  and  the  inhabitants, 
tired  out  with  constant  duty,  and  harassed  with 
frequent  alarms,  were  at  length  happily  relieved. 


BOSOMWORTH    PARDONED..  97 

It  affords  a  striking  evidence  of  the  weakness 
of  the  colonists,  and  their  fear  of  Indian  retalia- 
tion, when  we  relate,  that  after  passing  through  this 
terrible  ordeal,  the  provincial  authorities  did  not 
dare  to  molest  either  Bosomworth  or  his  wife. 
It  is  true,  that  the  reasons  given  for  their  pardon 
were  said  to  have  been  in  consideration  of  the 
intercession  of  Adam  Bosomworth,  a  brother  of 
the  culprit,  and  a  letter  from  Bosomworth  him- 
self, acknowledging  the  title  of  his  wife  to  be 
groundless,  and  craving  forgiveness  on  the  plea 
of  her  present  remorse  and  past  services  to  the 
province.  But  the  real  cause  of  their  not  being 
severely  dealt  with  was,  undoubtedly,  a  dread  of 
the  consequences  that  might  ensue. 

In  1751,  the  restless  intriguer  revived  his 
claim.  It  was  litigated  in  the  English  courts  for 
many  years,  and  at  length  partially  decided  in 
his  favour ;  but  one  Levy  claiming  a  moiety  of 
the  lands  by  previous  purchase  of  Bosomworth, 
a  new  suit  was  instituted,  which,  from  Levy  dying 
not  long  after,  has  never  been  legally  settled. 


9 


98  HISTORY   OF    GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Condition  of  the  province — Hostile  attitude  of  the  Cherokees 
— Trustees  resign  their  charter — Georgia  formed  into  a  royal 
government — Quarrel  between  the  Virginians  and  Cherokees 
• — Treachery  of  Occonostota — Captain  Coytmore  killed — 
Indian  hostages  massacred — The  savages  desolate  the  fron- 
tiers— Colonel  Montgomery  sent  against  them — Defeats 
them  and  burns  all  the  lower  towns — Returns  to  Fort  Prince 
George — Enters  the  nation  again — Bloody  battle  near  Etchoe 
town — Returns  to  Fort  Prince  George — Siege  and  capitula- 
lation  of  Fort  Loudon — Treachery  of  the  savages — Attakul- 
lakulla  rescues  Captain  Stewart — Hostilities  encouraged  by 
the  French — Grant  marches  against  the  Indians,  and  de- 
feats them — Treaty  of  peace  concluded. 

THE  condition  of  the  province  of  Georgia  in 
*  1751  was  indeed  deplorable.  Eighteen  years 
had  now  passed  off,  and  the  colonists  had  not,  in 
any  one  year,  furnished  subsistence  enough  for 
its  own  consumption.  Commerce  had  barely 
commenced ;  numbers,  in  disgust  at  the  unpro- 
mising state  of  things,  had  left  the  country,  and 
settled  in  Carolina;  the  white  servants  fled 
from  their  masters  and  took  refuge  in  Carolina, 
and  the  country  was  rapidly  dwindling  into  in- 
significance. 

In  this  enfeebled  condition,  the  Cherokee  In- 
dians assumed  a  hostile  attitude.  At  the  first 
signal  of  alarm,  a  number  of  Quakers,  who 
had  settled,  during  the  preceding  winter,  on  a 


REYNOLDS  APPOINTED   GOVERNOR.  99 

body  of  land  west  of  Augusta,  abandoned  their 
plantations  and  fled  the  country.  Other  planters 
also  sought  protection  in  the  towns,  and  the  pro- 
vince was  placed  in  the  best  state  of  defence 
which  its  weakened  condition  admitted.  The 
difficulty,  however,  blew  over  for  a  time. 

The  trustees,  finding  that  the  province  did  not 
flourish  under  their  patronage,  and  wearied  out 
with  the  complaints  and  murmurs  of  the  people, 
for  whose  benefit  they  had  devoted  so  much  time 
and  expended  so  much  money,  resigned  their     , 
charter  on  the  20th  of  June,  1752,  and  the  pro-  v 
vince  was  formed  into  a  royal  government. 

For  two  years  after  the  resignation  of  the 
trustees,  the  province  of  Georgia  remained  in  an 
unprotected  condition.  On  the  1st  of  October, 
1754,  the  king  appointed  John  Reynolds,  an  offi- 
cer in  the  navy,  Governor  of  Georgia,  and  granted 
legislative  powers  similar  to  those  of  the  other 
royal  governments  in  America.  Several  years 
elapsed,  however,  before  Georgia  began  to  pros- 
per. 

During  the  year  1759,  war  between  France 
and  Great  Britain  having  been  previously  de- 
clared, General  Abercrombie,  commanding  the 
British  forces  in  America,  threatened  the  French 
stronghold  on  the  Ohio,  westward  of  Virginia. 
To  assist  in  carrying  out  his  designs,  he  invited 
the  Cherokees  to  join  him  in  the  capture  of  Fort 
Duquesne.  The  French  garrison  fled  to  the 


100  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

south,  and  taking  advantage  of  an  unfortunate 
quarrel  between  the  Virginians  and  Cherokees, 
were  successful  in  detaching  the  latter  from 
the  British  cause,  and  exciting  them  into  a 
bloody  and  remorseless  war  against  their  former 
friends. 

The  occasion  which  gave  rise  to  the  feud  was 
this.  A  number  of  Indians  returning  home 
through  the  back  parts  of  Virginia,  having  lost 
their  own  horses  in  the  expedition  against  Du- 
quesne,  caught  such  as  came  in  their  way ;  never 
imagining  that  they  belonged  to  any  individual 
in  the  province.  The  Virginians,  resenting  the 
injury,  followed  the  savages,  killed  fourteen  of 
them,  and  took  several  prisoners.  The  Chero- 
kees, naturally  indignant  at  such  conduct  from 
their  allies,  flew  immediately  to  arms,  and  mur- 
dered and  scalped  a  number  of  people  on  the 
frontiers. 

Captain  Coytmore,  commanding  Fort  Prince 
George,  on  the  bank  of  Savannah  River,  near  the 
Cherokee  town  of  Keowee,  despatched  messengers 
to  the  Governors  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina, 
warning  them  of  the  dangers  which  were  threat- 
ening. Governor  Lyttleton  immediately  hastened 
to  the  fort,  with  a  body  of  militia,  and  succeeded 
in  forming  a  treaty  of  peace  with  six  of  the  chiefs 
on  the  26th  of  December,  1759.  By  this  treaty, 
thirty-two  Indian  warriors  were  left  in  the  fort 
as  hostages  for  the  fulfilment  of  certain  stipulated 


OCCONOSTOTA'S  STRATAGEM.  101 


conditions.  The  small-pox  breaking  out  in  Lyt- 
tleton's  camp,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to 
Charleston.  He  had  scarcely  reached  the  seat 
of  his  government,  when  war  again  broke  out. 

The  Indians  had  contracted  an  invincible  an- 
tipathy to  Captain  Coytmore,  who  commanded 
in  the  fort ;  the  imprisonment  of  their  chiefs  had 
converted  their  desire  for  peace  into  the  bitterest 
rage  for  war. 

Occonostota,  a  chieftain  of  great  influence,  had 
become  a  most  implacable  and  vindictive  enemy: 
he  collected  a  strong  party  of  Cherokees,  sur- 
rounded the  fort,  and  compelled  the  garrison  to 
keep  within  their  works;  but  finding  that  he 
could  make  no  impression  on  them,  nor  oblige 
the  commander  to  surrender,  he  contrived  the 
following  stratagem  for  the  relief  of  his  country- 
men, confined  in  it  as  hostages.  As  the  under- 
wood was  well  calculated  for  his  purposes,  he 
placed  a  party  of  savages  in  a  dark  canebrake 
by  the  river-side,  and  then  sent  an  Indian  woman 
whom  he  knew  to  be  always  welcome  at  the  fort, 
to  inform  the  commander  that  he  had  something 
of  consequence  to  communicate  to  him,  and  would 
be  glad  to  speak  to  him  at  the  river-side.  Cap- 
tain Coytmore  imprudently  consented,  and  with- 
out any  suspicion  of  danger,  walked  to  the  river, 
accompanied  by  Lieutenants  Bell  and  Foster.  Oc- 
conostota appeared  on  the  opposite  side,  and  told 
them  that  he  was  going  to  Charleston  to  procure 

9* 


102  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


the  release  of  the  hostages,  and  would  be  glad 
of  a  white  man  to  accompany  him  as  a  safe- 
guard. The  better  to  cover  his  design,  he  had  a 
bridle  in  his  hand,  and  added  that  he  would  go 
and  hunt  for  a  horse.  The  captain  replied,  that 
he  should  have  a  guard,  and  wished  that  he  might 
find  a  horse,  as  the  journey  was  very  long,  and 
performing  it  on  foot  would  be  fatiguing  and 
tedious :  upon  which  the  Indian  turned  quickly, 
swung  the  bridle  round  his  head  as  a  signal  to 
the  savages  placed  in  ambush,  who  instantly 
fired  upon  the  officers,  shot  the  captain  dead  upon 
the  spot,  and  wounded  the  other  two.  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  orders  were  given  to  put  the  hos- 
tages in  irons,  to  prevent  any  further  danger  from 
them  ;  but,  while  the  soldiers  were  attempting  to 
execute  these  orders,  the  Indians  stabbed  the 
first  man  who  laid  hold  of  them,  and  wounded 
two  more,  upon  which  the  garrison,  exasperated  to 
the  highest  degree,  fell  upon  the  unfortunate  hos- 
tages and  butchered  them  in  a  manner  too  shock- 
ing to  relate. 

There  were  few  men  in  the  Cherokee  nation  that 
did  not  lose  a  friend  or  relation  by  this  massacre ; 
and,  therefore,  with  one  voice  all  declared  for  war. 

The  consequences  were  dreadful.  From  the  dif- 
ferent towns,  large  parties  of  warriors  took  the 
field,  and  commenced  an  indiscriminate  slaughter 
among  the  defenceless  families  upon  the  fron- 
tiers, ravaging  and  burning  wherever  they  went. 


COL.  MONTGOMERY'S  EXPEDITION.       103 

In  this  extremity,  application  for  immediate 
assistance  was  made  to  the  commander  of  the 
British  forces  in  New  York,  and  to  the  Governors 
of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia. 

Seven  companies  of  rangers  were  raised  to 
patrol  the  frontiers,  and  prevent  the  savages 
from  penetrating  farther  down  the  settlements, 
and  the  best  possible  preparations  made  for  chas- 
tising the  enemy  as  soon  as  the  regulars  should 
arrive  from  New  York. 

In  April,  1760,  Colonel  Montgomery  landed  in 
Carolina,  with  a  battalion  of  Highlanders  and  four 
companies  of  Royal  Scots.  As  the  conquest  of 
Canada  was  the  grand  object  of  this  year's  cam- 
paign in  America,  he  had  orders  to  strike  a  sud- 
den blow  for  the  relief  of  the  southern  provinces, 
and  return  to  head-quarters  at  Albany  without 
loss  of  time. 

After  having  been  joined  at  the  Congarees  by 
the  military  strength  of  South  Carolina,  he 
marched  rapidly  in  the  night  with  a  party  of 
his  men  to  surprise  the  Indian  town  of  Estatoe. 
On  his  way  thither,  he  entered  suddenly  the  town 
of  Little  Keowee,  and  put  every  Indian  in  it  to 
the  sword,  sparing  only  the  women  and  children. 
He  next  proceeded  to  Estatoe  and  burned  it  to 
ashes ;  but  the  savages,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few,  had  already  fled.  Sugartown,  and  every 
other  settlement  eastward  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
shared  the  same  fate.  In  the  lower  towns,  one 


104  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


hundred  Indians  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners, 
and  the  rest  driven  to  seek  for  shelter  in  the 
mountains. 

Having  finished  this  business  with  the  loss  of 
only  three  or  four  men,  he  marched  to  the  relief 
of  Fort  George,  which  had  been  invested  for  some 
time  by  the  savages.  Happily  succeeding  in  his 
object,  he  despatched  from  thence  messengers  to 
the  upper  and  lower  Cherokee  towns,  offering  to 
treat  with  them  for  peace.  Finding  the  enemy 
still  implacable,  he  determined  to  chastise  them 
a  little  farther ;  but  in  order  to  reach  the  savages, 
he  was  now  compelled  to  penetrate  a  wilderness  of 
dark  thickets,  rugged  paths,  and  dangerous  passes. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  when  he  had  advanced 
within  five  miles  of  Etchoe,  the  nearest  town  of 
the  middle  settlements,  he  entered  a  low  valley, 
covered  so  thick  with  brush  that  a  soldier  could 
scarcely  see  the  length  of  his  body,  and  in  the 
middle  of  which  there  was  a  muddy  river  with 
steep  clay  banks.  Through  this  dark  place, 
where  it  was  impossible  for  any  number  of  men 
to  act  together,  the  army  must  necessarily  march. 
Captain  Morison,  who  commanded  a  company  of 
rangers,  was  ordered  to  scour  the  thickets.  They 
had  scarcely  entered  it,  when  a  number  of  savages 
sprang  from  their  ambuscade,  fired  on  them, 
killed  the  captain,  and  wounded  several  of  his 
party;  upon  which  the  light  grenadiers  were 
ordered  to  advance  and  charge  the  enemy.  The 


BATTLE  NEAR  ETCHOE.         105 

firing  then  became  general,  though  the  soldiers, 
for  some  time,  could  only  discover  the  enemy  by 
the  report  of  their  guns. 

Montgomery,  finding  that  the  Indians  were  in 
large  force,  ordered  the  Royal  Scots  to  advance 
between  the  savages  and  a  rising  ground  on  the 
right,  while  the  Highlanders  marched  to  the  left, 
to  support  the  light  infantry  and  grenadiers. 
Undismayed  by  the  war-whoops  and  horrible 
yells  of  the  savages,  the  troops  pressed  forward. 
At  length,  the  Indians  gave  way,  and  in  their 
retreat,  falling  in  with  the  Royal  Scots,  suffered 
severely.  As  soon  as  Montgomery  saw  that  the 
enemy  continued  to  retreat  as  his  troops  ad- 
vanced, he  gave  orders  for  the  line  to  face  about 
and  march  directly  for  the  town  of  Etchoe.  The 
Indians  immediately  retreated  behind  the  hill, 
and  hastened  to  provide  for  the  safety  of  their 
wives  and  children. 

In  this  desperate  battle,  Montgomery  had 
twenty  men  killed,  and  seventy-six  wounded.  The 
loss  of  the  enemy  was  never  ascertained. 

This  action,  though  it  terminated  in  favour  of 
the  British,  had  so  burdened  them  with  wounded, 
that  the  commander  judged  it  most  prudent  to 
return  to  Fort  George.  !  Accordingly,  orders  were 
given  for  a  retreat,  which  was  made  with  great 
regularity,  although  the  enemy  continued  hover- 
ing around  and  annoying  the  troops  whenever  a 
favourable  opportunity  presented  itself. 


106  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


In  the  mean  time,  the  distant  garrison  of  Fort 
Loudon,  consisting  of  two  hundred  men,  was  re- 
duced to  the  dreadful  alternative  of  perishing  by 
hunger  or  submitting  to  the  mercy  of  the  enraged 
Cherokees.  For  a  long  time  they  had  enter- 
tained hopes  of  being  relieved  by  the  Virginians ; 
but  the  latter,  foreseeing  the  difficulty  of  marching 
an  army  burdened  with  supplies,  through  a  bar- 
ren wilderness,  where  the  passes  and  thickets 
were  ambuscaded  by  the  enemy,  had  given  over  all 
thoughts  of  the  attempt.  Driven  to  despair,  the 
men  threatened  to  leave  the  fort  and  die  at  once 
by  the  hands  of  the  savages,  rather  than  perish 
slowly  by  famine.  In  this  extremity,  a  council 
of  war  was  called,  when  it  was  finally  agreed  to 
surrender  the  fort  to  the  Cherokees  on  the  best 
terms  that  could  be  obtained.  For  this  purpose, 
Captain  Stewart,  an  officer  much  beloved  by  all 
the  Indians  who  remained  in  the  British  in- 
terest, was  sent  to  Chote,  one  of  the  principal 
towns  in  that  neighbourhood,  where  he  obtained 
terms  of  capitulation.  One  of  the  conditions  as- 
sented to  by  the  Indians  was,  that  the  garrison, 
with  a  sufficiency  of  arms  and  ammunition,  should 
be  permitted  to  march  unmolested  to  Fort  Prince 
George  or  Virginia,  under  the  escort  of  a  number 
of  Indians,  by  whom  they  were  to  be  supplied 
with  provisions  during  their  march. 

Accordingly,  the  fort  was  given  up  on  the  7th 
of  August,  1760,  and  the  garrison,  accompanied 


TREACHERY   OF   OCCONOSTOTA.  107 

by  Occonostota  and  several  other  Indians,  set 
out  on  their  way  to  Fort  Prince  George.  At  the 
first  halting-place  for  the  night  their  treacherous 
escort  deserted  them,  and  early  next  morning 
they  were  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  warriors, 
who  killed  Captain  Demere,  the  commander,  the 
other  officers,  and  twenty-six  men,  and  took  the 
remainder  as  prisoners  back  to  Fort  Loudon. 

Among  those  who  deplored  this  shameful  breach 
of  faith,  was  a  noble-hearted  chief  by  the  name 
of  Attakullakulla.  No  sooner  did  he  learn  that 
his  friend  Captain  Stewart  had  escaped  death, 
than  he  hastened  to  the  fort  and  purchased  him 
from  his  Indian  captor,  giving  the  latter  his  rifle, 
his  clothes,  and  every  thing  he  could  command. 
Soon  after  this,  he  learned  from  Captain  Stewart 
that  Occonostota,  meditating  an  attempt  upon  Fort 
Prince  George,  had  determined  that  Stewart  and 
a  party  of  his  companions  should  assist  in  the 
reduction,  of  the  fort ;  and  that  in  the  event  of 
Stewart's  refusal  to  act  against  his  own  country- 
men, the  prisoners  should  be  burned  one  after 
another  before  his  face. 

Upon  hearing  this  savage  resolve  of  Occonos- 
tota, the  aged  Attakullakulla  resolved  to  save  the 
life  of  Captain  Stewart  at  once,  and  at  every 
hazard.  Accordingly,  he  signified  to  his  people 
that  he  intended  to  go  hunting  for  a  few  days, 
and  carry  his  prisoner  with  him  to  eat  venison : 
at  the  same  time  Captain  Stewart  went  among  his 


108  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

soldiers,  and  told  them  that  they  could  never  ex- 
pect to  be  ransomed  by  their  government  if  they 
gave  the  smallest  assistance  to  the  Indians  against 
Fort  Prince  George. 

Having  settled  all  matters,  they  set  out  on  their 
journey,  accompanied  by  the  old  warrior's  wife, 
his  brother  and  two  soldiers,  who  were  the  only 
persons  of  the  garrison  that  knew  how  to  convey 
great  guns  through  the  woods.  For  provisions 
they  depended  upon  what  they  might  kill  by  the 
way.  The  distance  to  the  frontier  settlements 
was  great,  and  the  utmost  expedition  necessary 
to  prevent  any  surprise  from  Indians  pursuing 
them.  Nine  days  and  nights  did  they  travel 
through  a  dreary  wilderness,  shaping  their  course 
by  the  sun  and  moon  for  Virginia,  and  traversing 
many  hills,  valleys,  and  paths  that  had  never  been 
travelled  before  but  by  savages  and  wild  beasts. 
On  the  tenth  they  arrived  at  Holston's  river, 
where  they  fortunately  fell  in  with  a  party  of 
three  hundred  men  sent  out  by  Colonel  Bird  for 
the  relief  of  such  soldiers  as  might  make  their 
escape  that  way  from  Fort  Loudon.  On  the 
fourteenth  day  the  captain  reached  Colonel  Bird's 
eamp,  on  the  frontiers  of  Virginia,  where  having 
loaded  his  faithful  friend  and  his  party  with  pre- 
sents and  provisions,  he  sent  him  back  to  protect 
the  unhappy  prisoners  until  they  should  be  ran- 
somed, and  to  exert  his  influence  among  the 
Cherokees  for  the  restoration  of  peace. 


FRENCH   MACHINATIONS.  109 


Having  glutted  their  vengeance,  the  Cherokees 
would  have  been  disposed  to  listen  to  terms  of 
accommodation,  had  not  several  French  emissaries 
crept  in  among  the  upper  towns,  and  fomented 
their  ill-humour  against  the  southern  provinces. 

Louis  Latinac,  a  French  officer,  was  among 
these,  and  proved  an  indefatigable  instigator  to 
mischief.  He  furnished  the  Indians  with  arms 
and  ammunition,  and  urged  them  to  war,  per- 
suading them  that  the  English  had  nothing  less 
in  view  than  the  extermination  of  their  race  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  At  a  great  meeting  of  the 
nation,  he  pulled  out  his  hatchet,  and  sticking  it 
into  a  log,  cried  out,  «  Who  is  the  man  that  will 
take  this  up  for  the  King  of  France  ?"  Saloue,  a 
young  warrior  of  Estatoe,  laid  hold  of  it  and  cried 
out,  "  I  am  for  war  !  The  spirits  of  our  brothers 
who  have  been  slain  still  call  upon  us  to  revenge 
their  death — he  is  no  better  than  a  woman  who 
refuses  to  follow  me."  Many  others  seized  the 
tomahawk  yet  dyed  with  the  stains  of  innocent 
blood,  their  hearts  burning  with  ardour  for  the  field. 

Canada  being  now  reduced,  General  Amherst, 
responding  to  the  repeated  calls  from  the  south 
for  assistance,  despatched  Colonel  Grant  to 
Charleston,  with  a  force  of  regulars  amply  suffi- 
cient to  meet  the  emergency.  In  the  spring, 
Grant  took  the  field  with  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred men,  and  on  the  27th  of  May,  1761,  arrived 

at  Fort  Prince  George. 

10 


110  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


On  the  7th  of  June,  he  marched  from  thence 
into  the  Cherokee  country,  carrying  with  him 
thirty  days'  provisions.  On  the  10th,  various 
circumstances  concurred  to  awaken  suspicion,  and 
orders  were  given  for  the  first  time  to  load  and 
prepare  .for  action,  and  the  guards  to  march 
slowly  forward,  doubling  their  vigilance. 

As  they  frequently  spied  Indians  around  them, 
all  were  convinced  that  they  should  that  day  have 
an  engagement.  At  length,  having  advanced 
near  the  place  where  Colonel  Montgomery  was 
attacked  the  preceding  year,  the  Indian  allies  in 
the  vanguard,  about  eight  in  the  morning,  ob- 
served a  large  body  of  Cherokees  posted  upon  a 
hill  on  the  right  flank  of  the  army,  and  imme- 
diately gave  the  alarm.  The  savages  rushed 
uown  and  commenced  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  ad- 
vanced guard,  which  being  supported,  the  enemy 
was  soon  repulsed,  and  again  formed  upon  the 
heights :  under  this  hill  the  army  was  obliged  to 
march  a  considerable  distance. 

On  the  left  was  a  river,  from  the  opposite  bank 
of  which  a  large  number  of  Indians  fired  briskly 
on  the  troops  as  they  advanced.  Colonel  Grant 
ordered  a  party  to  mai-ch  up  the  hill  and  drive 
the  enemy  from  the  heights,  while  the  line  faced 
about  and  gave  their  whole  charge  to  the  Indians 
who  annoyed  them  from  the  side  of  the  river. 
The  engagement  became  general,  and  the  savages 
seemed  determined  obstinately  to  dispute  the 


THE   CHEROKEES   DEFEATED.  Ill 

lower  grounds,  while  those  on  the  hill  were  dis- 
lodged only  to  return  with  redoubled  ardour  to  the 
charge.  The  situation  of  the  troops  was  in 
several  respects  unfavourable:  fatigued  by  a 
tedious  march  in  rainy  weather ;  surrounded  with 
woods,  so  that  they  could  not  discern  the  enemy ; 
galled  by  the  scattered  fire  of  the  savages,  who 
when  pressed  always  kept  aloof,  but  rallied  again 
and  returned  to  the  ground ;  no  sooner  did  the 
army  gain  an  advantage  over  them  on  one  quar- 
ter, than  they  appeared  in  force  on  another. 

While  the  attention  of  the  commander  was  oc- 
cupied in  driving  the  enemy  from  their  lurking- 
place  on  the  river-side,  the  rear  was  attacked, 
and  so  vigorous  an  effort  made  to  take  the  flour 
and  cattle,  that  he  was  obliged  to  order  a  party 
back  to  the  relief  of  the  rear-guard.  From  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  until  eleven,  the  savages 
continued  to  keep  up  an  irregular  and  incessant 
fire,  sometimes  from  one  place  and  sometimes 
from  another,  while  the  woods  resounded  with  the 
war-whoop,  and  hideous  shouts  and  yells,  to  in- 
timidate the  troops.  At  length  the  Cherokees 
gave  way,  and  being  pursued  for  some  time,  scat- 
tered shots  continued  until  about  two  o'clock, 
when  the  enemy  disappeared. 

The  loss  sustained  by  the  enemy  in  this  action 
was  not  accurately  ascertained.  Colonel  Grant's 
loss  was  between  fifty  and  sixty  killed  and  wound- 
ed. Orders  were  given  not  to  bury  the  slain,  but 


112  HISTORY   OF    GEORGIA. 


to  sink  them  in  the  river,  to  prevent  their  being 
dug  up  from  their  graves  and  scalped.  The  army 
then  proceeded  to  Etchoe,  a  large  Indian  town, 
which  they  reached  about  midnight,  and  next  day 
reduced  to  ashes.  All  the  other  towns  in  the 
middle  settlement,  fourteen  in  number,  shared 
the  same  fate.  The  corn,  cattle,  and  other  stores 
of  the  enemy  were  likewise  destroyed,  and  the 
savages,  with  their  families,  were  driven  to  seek 
shelter  and  subsistence  among  the  barren  moun- 
tains. 

After  remaining  thirty  days  in  the  heart  of 
the  Cherokee  territories,  Grant  concluded  to 
return  to  Fort  Prince  George,  and  await  there, 
recruiting  the  strength  of  his  men,  until  he  saw 
whether  the  enemy  were  yet  sufficiently  humbled 
to  sue  for  peace. 

To  represent  the  situation  of  the  savages,  when 
reduced  by  this  severe  correction,  would  be  diffi- 
cult. Even  in  time  of  peace,  they  were  destitute 
of  that  foresight  which,  in  a  great  measure,  pro- 
vides for  future  events ;  but  in  time  of  war,  when 
their  villages  were  destroyed,  and  their  fields 
plundered,  they  were  reduced  to  the  extreme  of 
want.  Driven  to  barren  mountains,  the  hunters 
being  furnished  with  ammunition,  might,  indeed, 
obtain  a  scanty  subsistence  for  themselves;  but 
women,  children,  and  old  men,  suffered  greatly, 
when  almost  deprived  of  the  means  of  supporting 
life. 


I 
PEACE   CONCLUDED.  113 


A  few  days  after  Colonel  Grant's  arrival  at 
Fort  Prince  George,  Attakullakulla,  attended  by 
several  chiefs,  came  to'his  camp  and  expressed  a 
desire  for  peace.  Severely  had  they  suffered  for 
breaking  their  alliance  with  the  English,  and 
giving  ear  to  the  deceitful  promises  of  the  French. 
Convinced  at  last  of  the  weakness  and  perfidy  of 
the  latter,  who  were  neither  able  to  assist  them 
in  time  of  war,  nor  to  supply  their  wants  in  time 
of  peace,  they  resolved  to  renounce  all  connection 
with  them  forever :  accordingly,  terms  of  peace 
were  drawn  up  and  proposed,  which  were  no  less 
honourable  to  Colonel  Grant  than  advantageous 
to  the  southern  provinces. 

The  different  articles  being  read  and  inter- 
preted, Attakullakulla  agreed  to  them  all,  except- 
ing one,  a  cruel  provision,  by  which  it  was  de- 
manded, that  four  Cherokee  Indians  should  be 
delivered  up  to  Colonel  Grant  at  Fort  Prince 
George  to  be  put  to  death  in  the  front  of  his 
camp,  or  four  green  scalps  be  brought  to  him 
within  twelve  days.  Attakullakulla  declared  that 
ho  had  no  such  authority  from  his  nation,  that 
he  thought  the  stipulation  unreasonable  and  un- 
just, and  that  he  could  not  voluntarily  grant  it. 
Colonel  Grant  wisely  withdrew  this  offensive 
article  ;  after  which  peace  was  formally  ratified, 
and  their  former  friendship  being  renewed,  all 
expressed  a  hope  that  it  would  last  as  long  as  the 

sun  should  shine  and  the  rivers  run. 
10* 


114  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Wright  appointed  governor — Prosperity  of  Georgia — Emigra- 
tion continues — Political  aspect  of  the  colony  overclouded — 
Dr.  Franklin  appointed  agent  in  England — The  legislature 
define  their  rights  and  demand  redress — Corresponding  com- 
mittees nominated — Georgia  charged  with  lukewarmness — 
Defence  of  the  same — Republican  spirit  manifested — Powder 
magazine  in  Savannah  broken  open  and  its  contents  secreted 
— Cannon  spiked  on  the  battery — Delegates  appointed  to  the 
Congress  at  Philadelphia — Munitions  of  war  seized — Georgia 
declares  her  independence — Governor  Wright  imprisoned — 
Escapes  in  the  night — Troops  ordered  to  be  raised — Bill  of 
credit  issued — Nine  merchant  vessels  burned  or  dismantled — 
Patriotism  of  the  citizens  of  Savannah. 

ON  the  80th  of  October,  1760,  Sir  James 
Wright  was  appointed  Governor  of  Georgia,  and 
under  his  auspices  the  colony  soon  began  to 
flourish.  By  the  peace  which  was  soon  after 
made  with  Spain,  the  boundaries  were  extended 
to  the  Mississippi  on  the  west,  and  on  the  south 
to  latitude  31°  and  the  St.  Mary's  River.  East 
and  West  Florida  were  also  given  up  by  Spain, 
and  though  of  themselves  but  little  more  than  a 
barren  waste,  formed  an  important  acquisition  to 
Georgia. 

No  province  on  the  continent  felt  the  happy 
effects  of  public  security  sooner  than  Georgia. 
The  able  and  energetic  exertions  of  the  governor 
goon  developed  resources  which  had  hitherto  lain 


PROSPERITY  OF  GEORGIA.        115 


dormant.  Commerce  extended  rapidly ;  agricul- 
ture flourished.  The  planters,  having  the  strength 
of  Africa  to  assist  them,  laboured  with  success, 
and  the  lands  every  year  yielded  greater  and 
greater  increase.  Many  emigrations  now  took 
place  from  Carolina,  and  settlements  were  made 
about  Sunbury  and  the  Alatamaha.  The  plant- 
ers situated  on  the  other  side  of  the  Savannah 
River  found  in  the  capital  of  Georgia  an  excel- 
lent market  for  their  commodities ;  and,  at  length, 
the  shipments  of  produce  from  the  province  to 
Europe  equalled,  in  proportion  to  its  popula- 
tion, those  of  its  more  powerful  and  opulent 
neighbours. 

Nothing  of  any  marked  interest  interfered  with 
the  progress  of  the  colonies  for  several  years. 
The  brief  but  bloody  wars  of  the  Indian  nations 
among  themselves  occasioned  at  times  a  tempo- 
rary alarm  among  the  colonists  residing  on  the 
frontiers,  but  by  a  cautious  policy  on  the  part  of 
the  governors,  and  the  watchfulness  of  the  Indian 
agents,  all  real  danger  was  for  the  most  part 
averted. 

Emigrants  continued  to  flock  into  the  country. 
In  1765,  four  additional  parishes  were  laid  off 
between  the  Alatamaha  and  the  St.  Mary's  rivers. 
Within  the  space  of  ten  years  from  1763,  the  ex- 
ports of  the  province  increased  from  twenty-seven 
thousand,  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  thou- 
sand six  hundred  pounds  sterling.  The  number 


116  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


of  negroes  in  1773  was  estimated  at  fourteen 
thousand.  The  political  aspect  of  the  colony  was, 
however,  far  from  being  unclouded. 

When  the  offensive  stamp  act  of  the  22d  of 
March,  1765,  received  the  royal  assent,  it  pro- 
duced a  tumult  in  every  province  in  America.  It 
was  no  sooner  repealed  than  it  was  succeeded  by 
the  revival  of  another  act  equally  offensive,  for 
quartering  his  majesty's  troops  on  the  inhabitants, 
and  supplying  them  in  their  quarters ;  so  that 
wherever  they  were  stationed,  no  expense  should 
be  brought  upon  the  crown.  These  and  similar 
grievances  occasioned  a  spirit  of  discontent,  which 
the  systematic  neglect  of  all  petitions  for  relief 
in  no  wise  tended  to  allay. 

In  1768,  Doctor  Franklin  was  recognised  as 
the  agent  of  Georgia  in  England,  but  his  subse- 
quent letters  afforded  only  faint  hopes  of  ade- 
quate relief. 

The  people  now  determined  to  speak  out  for 
themselves.  At  a  meeting  of  the  legislature  in 
the  province  of  Georgia,  in  February,  1770,  they 
took  into  consideration  the  authority  by  which  the 
parliament  of  Great  Britain  claimed,  to  bind 
the  people  of  America  by  statutes  in  all  cases ; 
their  imposition  of  taxes  on  the  Americans  under 
various  pretences,  but  in  truth  for  the  purpose 
of  raising  a  revenue ;  their  establishing  of  a  board 
of  commissioners  with  unconstitutional  powers, 
and  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  courts  of  admi- 


RIGHTS   DEFINED.  117 


ralty,  not  only  for  collecting  the  duties  imposed 
by  these  acts,  but  for  trial  of  causes  arising  within 
the  body  of  a  county.  Standing  armies  were  also 
kept  up  in  America  in  time  of  profound  peace ; 
and  by  the  revival  of  a  statute  made  in  the  thirty- 
fifth  year  of  Henry  the  Eighth,  colonists  might 
be  transported  to  England,  and  tried  there  upon 
Accusations  for  treason,  or  misprisions  or  conceal- 
ments of  treason,  committed  in  the  colonies  ;  and 
by  a  late  statute,  such  trials  had  been  directed  in 
cases  therein  mentioned.  Moreover,  the  gover- 
nor had  frequently  taken  upon  himself  to  dissolve 
the  assemblies,  contrary  to  the  rights  of  the  peo- 
ple, when  they  attempted  to  deliberate  on  griev- 
ances, in  conformity  to  the  custom  of  their  an- 
cestors, for  ascertaining  and  vindicating  their 
rights  and  liberties. 

In  consequence  of  these  infringements,  the 
House  of  Assembly,  after  defining  their  rights  by 
the  laws  of  nature,  the  principles  of  the  English 
constitution,  and  the  several  charters  or  compacts, 
resolved,  "  that  the  exercise  of  legislative  power 
in  any  colony  by  a  council  appointed  during  plea- 
sure by  the  crown,  may  prove,  dangerous  and 
destructive  to  the  freedom  of  American  legisla- 
tion :  all  and  each  of  which,  the  commons  of 
Georgia,  in  general  assembly  met,  do  claim,  de- 
mand, and  insist  on,  as  their  indubitable  rights 
and  liberties,  which  cannot  be  legally  taken  from 


118  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

them,  altered,  or  abridged  by  any  power  what- 
ever, without  their  consent." 

After  detailing  a  list  of  the  acts  of  Parliament 
which  the  members  of  the  assembly  considered  as 
infringing  upon  and  violating  the  rights  of  the 
colonies,  they  demanded  the  repeal  of  the  same, 
and  closed  their  deliberations  by  resolving  "  that 
— ,  -  — ,  be  deputies  to  represent  this 
province  in  the  intended  American  continental 
congress,  proposed  to  be  held  at  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia on  the  10th  of  May  next,  or  at  any  other 
place  or  time  as  may  hereafter  be  agreed  on  by 
the  said  congress." 

Letters  from  Doctor  Franklin,  during  the 
course  of  this  year,  held  out  some  feeble  prospects 
that,  gradually,  every  obstruction  to  that  cordial 
amity  so  necessary  to  the  welfare  of  the  whole 
empire  would  be  removed.  But  the  arbitrary 
conduct  of  the  provincial  governors  and  other 
crown  officers,  and  the  blind  obstinacy  of  the 
British  ministry,  prevented  such  pleasing  antici- 
pations from  being  realized. 

In  1772,  corresponding  committees  were  nomi- 
nated in  all  the  colonies,  and  the  crisis  approached 
when  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  decide  whether 
they  would  submit  to  taxation  by  the  British  Par- 
liament, or  make  a  firm  stand  for  the  support  of 
their  principles. 

During  the  intervening  period,  Georgia  had 
been  charged  with  lukewarmness  in  the  cause  of 


SITUATION   OF   GEORGIA.  119 


freedom  by  her  sister  provinces  ;  but  though  there 
appeared  to  be  some  grounds  for  the  obnoxious 
accusation,  her  course  was  justified  by  all  impar- 
tial minds,  when  the  difficulties  of  her  position 
came  to  be  better  understood. 

Her  situation  was  a  peculiar  one.  Governor 
Wright,  with  that  political  forecast  which  led 
him  to  anticipate  the  subsequent  events,  had  se- 
cured to  the  interest  of  the  king  as  many  men  of 
wealth,  talents,  and  influence,  as  he  could  find 
willing  to  hold  offices.  John  Stuart,  superintend- 
ant  of  Indian  affairs,  had  taken  the  same  precau- 
tion in  the  selection  of  his  agents  with  the  different 
tribes  of  Indians.  Many  of  the  most  wealthy 
inhabitants  foresaw  that  their  pecuniary  ruin 
would  be  the  inevitable  consequence  of  partici- 
pating with  the  other  colonies  in  resistance  to  the 
aggressions  of  the  crown ;  while  another  class, 
composed  of  the  idle  and  dissipated,  who  had 
little  or  nothing  to  risk,  perceived  their  advantage 
in  adhering  to  the  royal  government. 

The  situation  of  Georgia  was  inauspicious.  It 
was  but  thinly  inhabited,  on  a  territory  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  north  to  south,  and 
about  thirty  miles  from  east  to  west.  It  presented 
a  western  frontier  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
It  had  on  the  northwest  the  Cherokees ;  on  the 
west,  the  Creeks ;  on  the  south,  a  refugee  banditti 
in  Florida ;  and  on  the  east,  the  influence  of  Go- 
vernor Wright,  who  controlled  the  king's  ships 


120  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

on  the  sea-coast.  The  population  of  the  eastern 
district  of  the  province  was  composed  of  white 
people  and  negro  slaves ;  the  latter  the  most  nu- 
merous, the  former  but  few  in  number.  A  great 
majority  of  the  inhabitants  were  favourable  to  the 
cause  of  the  colonies  ;  yet,  from  surrounding  dan- 
gers, their  measures  were  to  be  adopted  with 
cautious  circumspection. 

Under  these  depressing  circumstances,  the 
strength  of  the  republican  party  was  of  slow 
growth.  The  committees  of  safety,  though  cau- 
tious, were  active  and  efficient ;  and  the  more 
daring  of  the  patriots  took  advantage  of  every 
opportunity  of  serving  the  cause  of  freedom,  and 
testifying  their  abhorrence  of  the  royal  domina- 
tion. 

On  the  night  of  the  llth  of  May,  1775,  a  num- 
ber of  gentlemen,  principally  members  of  the 
council  of  safety,  and  zealous  in  the  American 
cause,  broke  open  the  magazine  at  the  eastern 
extremity  of  the  city  of  Savannah,  took  out  the 
powder,  sent  a  part  of  it  to  Beaufort,  in  South 
Carolina,  and  concealed  the  remainder  in  their 
cellars  and  garrets.  Governor  Wright  issued  a 
proclamation,  offering  a  reward  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  sterling  for  apprehending  the 
offenders  and  bringing  them  to  punishment ;  but 
the  secret  was  not  disclosed  until  the  Americans 
had  occasion  to  use  the  ammunition  in  defence 
of  their  rights  and  property. 


PATRIOTIC   PROCEEDINGS.  121 


On  the  1st  of  June,  Governor  Wright  and  the 
loyal  party  at  Savannah  ordered  preparations  to 
be  made  for  the  celebration  of  the  king's  birth- 
day. On  the  night  of  the  2d,  a  number  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town  collected,  spiked  up  all 
the  cannon  on  the  battery,  and  hurled  them  to 
the  bottom  of  the  bluff.  With  difficulty  a  few  of 
the  spikes  were  drawn  and  drilled  out,  and  the 
guns  re-mounted  to  perform  the  usual  ceremonies. 

A  general  election  was  held  for  delegates,  to 
meet  at  Savannah  on  the  4th  day  of  July.  The 
members  accordingly  assembled  ;  and  on  the  15th 
of  that  month  they  appointed  the  honourable 
Archibald  Bulloch,  John  Houstoun,  John  Joachim 
Zubly,  Noble  Wimberly  Jones,  and  Lyman  Hall, 
esquires,  to  represent  this  province  in  Congress, 
at  Philadelphia.  The  resolution  for  this  measure 
was  signed  by  fifty-three  members,  who  pledged 
themselves  for  its  support ;  and  their  proceedings 
were  communicated  to  Congress,  then  in  session, 
accompanied  by  a  declaration  that  this  province 
was  determined  to  unite  in,  and  adhere  to  the 
common  cause  of  the  provinces. 

During  the  session  of  the  delegates  in  Savan- 
nah, Captain  Maitland,  from  London,  arrived  at 
Tybee,  with  thirteen  thousand  pounds  of  powder, 
and  other  articles  for  the  use  of  the  British  troops, 
and  for  the  Indian  trade.  It  was  determined  to 
obtain  possession  of  that  valuable  prize  without 
loss  of  time.  Accordingly,  about  thirty  volun- 
11 


122  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 

teers,  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Brown 
and  Colonel  Joseph  Habersham,  embarked  on 
board  of  two  boats,  proceeded  down  the  river 
Savannah  to  the  ship,  took  possession  of  her,  and 
discharged  the  crew.  A  guard  was  left  on  board 
of  the  ship,  and  the  powder  brought  to  town  and 
secured  in  the  magazine.  Five  thousand  pounds 
of  the  powder  were  sent  to  the  patriots  near  Bos- 
ton. 

Owing  to  a  variety  of  causes,  but  mainly  to  a 
dread  of  being  involved  in  a  war  with  the  Chero- 
kees,  who  were  already  desolating  the  frontiers 
of  South  Carolina,  Georgia  took  no  farther  open 
and  decided  part  in  the  contest,  until  the  meeting 
of  the  provincial  assembly  on  the  20th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1776. 

Then  it  was  that  President  Ewin,  of  the  com- 
mittee of  safety,  laid  before  the  house  a  variety 
of  documents,  representing  the  oppression  of  the 
other  colonies  to  the  north,  and  the  united  zeal 
with  which  the  British  troops  had  been  opposed. 
Among  other  papers  was  the  address  of  the 
House  of  Commons  to  the  king,  at  the  opening  of 
parliament,  on  the  28th  of  October,  1775.  In 
this  address  the  English  members  expressed  the 
greatest  satisfaction  in  having  learned  that  the 
king  had  increased  his  naval  establishment,  and 
greatly  augmented  his  land  forces ;  and  that  he 
had  adopted  the  economical  plan  of  drawing  as 
many  regiments  from  outposts  as  could  be  spared, 


THE   GOVERNOR   ARRESTED.  123 


to  subdue  the  American  colonies,  and  bring  them 
to  a  proper  sense  of  their  dependence  upon  the 
British  government. 

After  the  documents  were  read,  the  house  en- 
tered into  a  resolution  to  embark  with  the  other 
colonies  in  the  common  cause  with  the  utmost 
zeal ;  to  resist  and  be  free.  Orders  were  given  to 
arrest  Governor  Wright  and  his  council.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  28th  of  January,  Joseph  Ha- 
bersham,  Esq.,  who  was  then  a  member  of  the 
house,  raised  a  party  of  volunteers,  took  Gover- 
nor Wright  prisoner,  paroled  him  to  his  house, 
and  placed  a  sentinel  at  his  door,  prohibiting  all 
intercourse  with  the  members  of  his  council,  the 
king's  officers,  or  any  other  persons  who  were 
supposed  to  be  inimical  to  the  American  cause. 

On  the  night  of  the  llth  of  February,  the 
governor  effected  his  escape,  and  passing  down 
the  river  in  a  boat,  took  refuge  on  board  the 
Scarborough  man-of-war,  which,  with  four  other 
armed  ships,  was  lying  at  Tybee,  in  the  mouth 
of  the  Savannah  River. 

Previous  to  this  occurrence,  the  assembly  had 
passed  a  resolution  to  raise  a  battalion  of  conti- 
nental troops ;  and  on  the  4th  of  February,  the 
following  field  officers  were  appointed  to  com- 
mand it :  Lachlan  Mclntosh,  Colonel ;  Samuel  El- 
bert,  Lieutenant-colonel ;  and  Joseph  Habersham, 
Major.  About  the  same  time,  Archibald  Bui- 
loch,  John  Houstoun,  Lyman  Hall,  Button  Gwi- 


124  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

nett,  and  George  Watson,  esquires,  were  elected 
to  represent  the  province  in  Congress,  at  Phila- 
delphia. Bills  of  credit  were  issued  in  the  form 
of  certificates,  and  resolutions  entered  into  for 
the  punishment  of  those  who  refused  to  receive 
them  in  payment  of  debts,  or  at  par,  for  any 
article  which  was  offered  for  sale. 

In  direct  opposition  to  a  law  of  Congress,  pro- 
hibiting commercial  intercourse  between  the  colo- 
nies and  the  British  dominions,  a  number  of 
wealthy  loyalist  planters,  early  in  March,  freighted 
in  Savannah  River  eleven  merchant  vessels  with 
rice,  and  prepared  for  a  sea  voyage.  To  favour 
this  design,  the  armed  ships  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  moved  up  and  threatened  the  town.  The 
militia  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Mclntosh 
were  immediately  called  out ;  and  with  the  as- 
sistance of  five  hundred  Carolinians,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Bull,  succeeded  in  dislodging  the 
enemy,  burning  three  of  the  merchant  vessels, 
and  dismantling  six.  The  other  two  escaped  to 
sea. 

Upon  this  trying  occasion,  the  patriotism  of 
the  citizens  of  Savannah  was  tested,  by  a  resolu- 
tion which  was  offered  by  one  of  the  members  of 
the  committee  of  safety ;  the  purport  of  which 
was,  that  the  houses  in  Savannah  which  were 
owned  by  those  whose  motto  was  "Liberty  or 
Death,"  including  houses  which  belonged  to 
widows  and  orphans,  should  be  appraised;  and 


PROPOSAL  TO  BURN  SAVANNAH.     125 

in  the  event  of  the  enemy's  gaining  possesion  of 
the  city,  the  torch  was  to  be  applied  in  every  di- 
rection, and  the  town  to  be  abandoned  in  smoking 
ruins.  To  the  astonishment,  even  of  those  who 
made  the  proposition,  when  the  republican  party 
was  convened,  there  was  not  one  dissenting  voice. 
Among  the  number  where  this  resolution  origi- 
nated, were  many  of  the  most  wealthy  inhabit- 
ants of  Savannah,  and  some  whose  all  consisted 
of  houses  and  lots.  The  houses  of  those  persons 
who  were  inimical  to  the  American  cause  were 
not  to  be  noticed  in  the  valuation.  Committees 
were  accordingly  appointed,  and  in  a  few  hours 
returns  were  made  to  the  council  of  safety. 
There  are  many  instances  of  conflagration  by 
order  of  a  monarch,  "who  can  do  no  wrong," 
but  there  are  few  instances  upon  record,  where 
the  patriotism  of  the  citizen  has  urged  him  on 
to  the  destruction  of  his  own  property,  to  pre- 
vent its  becoming  an  asylum  to  the  enemies  of 
his  country. 


n» 


126  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Loyalists  take  refuge  in  Florida — Their  predatory  incursions — 
Treachery  of  the  McGirth's — Expedition  against  the  Chero- 
kees — Treaty  of  peace  with  that  nation — Unsuccessful  inva- 
sions of  Florida — Howe's  attempt — The  American  army  re- 
treats— Georgia  attacked  on  the  south — Skirmish  at  Bull  town 
Swamp — Battle  at  Medway — Scriven  mortally  wounded — 
White  retreats  to  the  Ogechee — Sunbury  invested — Heroic 
reply  of  Colonel  Mclntosh — The  enemy  retreats. 

DURIXG  the  period  in  -which  the  republican 
party  in  Georgia  maintained  the  ascendency, 
many  of  the  loyalists  fled  from  the  latter  pro- 
vince and  from  the  Carolinas,  and  found  a  secure 
retreat  in  East  Florida.  The  southern  frontiers 
of  Georgia  were  thus  exposed  to  the  predatory 
incursions  of  these  banditti,  who  bore  the  appel- 
lation of  "Florida  Rangers,"  and  whose  place 
of  rendezvous  and  deposite  was  a  fort  on  St. 
Mary's  River.  The  destruction  of  this  recepta- 
cle became,  therefore,  an  object  of  great  conse- 
quence. 

Accordingly,  during  the  year  1776,  Captain 
John  Baker  collected  seventy  mounted  militia, 
and  marched  to  St.  Mary's  with  the  hope  of  sur- 
prising and  demolishing  the  fort. 

Unfortunately,  when  he  was  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  fortress,  he  was  discovered  by  a 


TREACHERY  AND   DESERTION.  127 


negro,  who  gave  the  garrison  notice  of  his  ap- 
proach. The  enemy  were  immediately  on  the 
alert,  and  Baker,  finding  his  design  frustrated, 
retreated  eight  or  nine  miles  and  encamped  for 
the  night.  While  his  party  were  sleeping  in 
fancied  security,  Daniel  and  James  McGirth,  two 
privates  who  had  been  placed  on  guard,  stole  the 
greater  part  of  the  horses  and  deserted  with  them 
to  the  enemy.  For  this  act  of  treachery,  Daniel 
McGirth  received  the  appointment  of  lieutenant- 
colonel  of  the  Florida  Rangers,  and  his  brother 
that  of  captain  in  the  same  corps.  These  trai- 
tors afterward  distinguished  themselves  above 
all  others,  by  the  energy,  audacity,  and  cruelty 
with  which  their  predatory  incursions  were 
marked. 

The  subsequent  operations  of  this  and  the 
succeeding  year  consisted  of  an  expedition 
against  the  Cherokees,  which  resulted  in  a  treaty 
of  peace  with  that  nation ;  of  numerous  skir- 
mishes between  the  loyalists  and  patriots,  wherein 
victory  inclined  sometimes  to  the  one  side  and 
sometimes  to  the  other ;  and  of  several  abortive 
attempts  made  by  the  Americans  to  conquer 
East  Florida;  which,  being  planned  with  rash- 
ness, and  executed  without  skill,  depressed  the 
ardour  of  the  patriots  and  gave  increased  confi- 
dence to  the  enemy. 

Early  in  the  year  1778,  Major-general  Robert 
Howe,  to  whom  the  command  of  the  southern 


128  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


forces  had  previously  been  confided,  removed  his 
head-quarters  from  Charleston  to  Savannah. 

The  project  of  reducing  Florida  being  still  a 
favourite  one,  Governor  Houstoun  of  Georgia 
consented  to  co-operate  with  Howe  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

Accordingly,  on  the  20th  of  May,  the  latter 
reached  the  Alatamaha,  where  he  halted  till  his 
reinforcements  should  come  up.  On  the  25th, 
Howe  crossed  the  river  and  landed  at  Reid's 
Bluff.  Here  the  mischievous  effects  of  a  divided 
command  became  first  apparent.  Governor  Hous- 
toun had  issued  orders  in  regard  to  his  galleys 
which  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  execute ; 
neither  of  the  commanders  was  willing  to  submit 
to  the  dictation  of  the  other,  and  as  unanimity 
of  action  was  no  longer  to  be  expected,  the 
American  forces  were  compelled  to  return  with- 
out effecting  any  thing  of  importance. 
.  These  repeated  failures  were  probably  among 
the  causes  which  induced  the  enemy  to  become 
assailants  in  their  turn. 

General  Augustine  Provost,  who  commanded 
at  St.  Augustine,  was  informed  by  the  British 
general  at  New  York,  that  a  number  of  trans- 
ports with  troops  on  board  would  sail  from  thence 
direct  for  the  coast  of  Georgia,  and  was  ordered 
by  him  to  send  detachments  from  his  commmand 
to  annoy  the  southern  frontier  of  that  state,  and 
divert  the  attention  of  the  American  troops  from 


BRITISH    PREDATORY   INCURSION.  129 


Savannah.  By  these  measures,  the  possession 
of  that  town  would  be  obtained  with  little  loss, 
the  retreat  of  the  American  troops  cut  off,  and 
their  capture  rendered  probable.  Reinforce- 
ments were  promised  to  insure  success  to  the  en- 
terprise. 

In  obedience  to  these  orders,  Provost  de- 
spatched a  portion  of  his  troops,  with  some  light 
artillery,  by  water,  to  Sunbury,  where  Colonel 
John  Mclntosh  was  stationed  with  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  men.  The  command  of  the 
British  detachment  was  given  to  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Fuser,  who  had  orders  to  possess  himself 
of  that  important  post.  Another  detachment 
under  Lieutenant-colonel  James  Mark  Provost, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  regular  troops,  sailed 
by  the  inland  navigation  to  Fort  Howe  on  the 
Alatamaha,  where  he  was  joined  by  the  infamous 
McGirth,  with  three  hundred  refugees  and  In- 
dians. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  Lieutenant-colonel 
Provost  advanced  into  the  settlements,  making 
prisoners  of  all  the  men  found  on  their  farms, 
and  plundering  the  inhabitants  of  every  valuable 
article  that  was  portable. 

As  soon  as  Colonel  John  Baker  received  intel- 
ligence of  the  advance  of  Provost  and  McGirth, 
he  assembled  a  party  of  mounted  militia  with  the 
intention  of  annoying  the  enemy  on  their  march. 
He  had  not  proceeded  farther  than  Bulltown 


130  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


Swamp,  when  he  fell  into  an  ambuscade  prepared 
by  McGirth,  and  after  a  short  skirmish  was  com- 
pelled to  retreat. 

In  the  mean  time,  Colonel  John  White  had  col- 
lected about  one  hundred  continental  troops  and 
militia.'  With  two  pieces  of  light  artillery  he  took 
post  at  Medway  meeting-house.  He  constructed 
a  slight  breastwork  across  the  road,  at  the  head 
of  the  causeway  over  which  the  enemy  must  pass, 
where  he  hoped  to  keep  them  in  check  until  he 
should  be  reinforced  by  Colonel  Elbert  from  Sa- 
vannah. 

On  the  24th,  General  James  Scriven,  with 
twenty  militia,  joined  Colonel  White.  While  the 
enemy  was  approaching  it  was  determined  to  meet 
them  in  ambush,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  Medway  meeting-house,  where  the  main  road 
was  skirted  by  a  thick  wood.  But  the  design 
was  already  anticipated  by  McGirth. 

When  the  Americans  approached  the  ground 
they  intended  to  occupy,  General  Scriven,  accom- 
panied by  his  aid-de-camp,  Lieutenant  Glascock, 
inclined  to  the  right  to  make  a  reconnoisance, 
while  Colonel  White  arranged  his  plan  of  attack. 
The  British  and  Americans  arrived  on  the  ground, 
and  were  preparing  their  snares  for  each  other 
about  the  same  time.  A  firing  commenced.  Gene- 
ral Scriven  had  advanced  but  a  short  distance, 
when  he  received  a  mortal  wound,  of  which  he 
died  the  ensuing  day.  Major  Baker,  who  com- 


THE   AMERICANS    RETREAT.  131 


manded  the  left  flank,  pressed  the  enemy  with 
such  vigour  that  they  gave  way,  but  they  were 
soon  reinforced  and  returned  to  the  contest. 

As  Colonel  Provost  was  crossing  the  road,  a 
shot  from  one  of  the  field-pieces  passed  through 
the  neck  of  his  horse  and  he  fell.  On  seeing  him 
fall,  Major  Roman  advanced  quickly  with  the 
field-pieces  to  take  advantage  of  the  confusion 
which  ensued ;  and  Major  James  Jackson  called 
out  "  Victory,"  supposing  the  enemy  was  retreat- 
ing. But  Provost  was  soon  remounted,  and  ad- 
vanced in  force. 

Finding  himself  opposed  by  far  superior  num- 
bers, Colonel  White  ordered  a  retreat  to  the 
meeting-house,  which  he  effected  in  good  order 
by  throwing  out  small  parties  to  annoy  the  front 
and  flanks  of  the  enemy,  and  by  breaking  down 
the  bridges  as  he  retired. 

When  he  had  regained  his  position,  he  learned 
that  the  force  opposed  to  him  consisted  of  five 
hundred  men.  This  great  superiority  of  numbers 
compelled  him  to  retreat  to  the  Ogechee  River, 
but  fearful  of  being  pressed  too  closely  by  the 
enemy,  he  endeavoured  by  a  stratagem  to  check 
the  ardour  of  their  pursuit. 

He  prepared  a  letter  as  though  it  had  been 
written  to  himself  by  Colonel  Elbert,  directing 
him  to  retreat,  in  order  to  draw  the  British  as 
far  as  possible  ;  and  informing  him  that  a  large 
body  of  cavalry  hud  crossed  over  Ogechee  River, 


132  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


with  orders  to  gain  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  by 
which  their  whole  force  would  he  captured. 

This  letter  was  dropped  in  such  a  way  as  to 
insure  its  getting  to  Colonel  Provost's  hand,  and 
to  attach  to  it  the  strongest  evidence  of  its  genu- 
ineness. It  was  found,  handed  to  Provost,  and 
was  supposed  to  have  been  so  far  effectual  as  to 
deter  the  enemy  from  advancing  more  than  six 
or  seven  miles.  When  White  reached  the  Oge- 
chee,  he  found  Colonel  Elbert  already  there  with 
a  reinforcement  of  two  hundred  men. 

The  latter  now  assumed  the  command.  He 
despatched  by  Major  John  Habersham  a  flag  to 
Colonel  Provost,  requesting  permission  to  furnish 
General  Scriven  with  medical  aid.  The  messen- 
ger was  also  to  propose  some  general  arrange- 
ments to  secure  the  country  against  pillage  and 
conflagration.  The  attendance  of  surgeons  was 
allowed,  but  Colonel  Provost  refused  to  make  any 
stipulations  for  the  security  of  the  country. 

Learning  from  Major  Habersham — whom  he 
put  upon  his  honour  to  answer  truly — that  no 
British  reinforcements  had  arrived  off  the  coast 
of  Georgia,  he  retreated  early  next  morning 
toward  St.  Augustine,  burning  and  plundering  as 
he  went. 

The  British  detachment  under  Colonel  Fuser, 
being  delayed  by  contrary  winds,  did  not  reach 
Sunbury  before  the  1st  of  December.  On  that 
day,  Fuser  anchored  off  Colonel's  Island.  After 


HEROIC   REPLY.  133 

making  the  necessary  preparations  to  attack  the 
fort  by  land  and  water,  he  demanded  a  surrender ; 
threatening,  in  case  of  refusal,  to  put  the  whole 
garrison  to  the  sword.  The  force  under  Fuser 
amounted  to  five  hundred  men,  well  supplied  with 
battering  cannon,  artillery,  and  mortars.  The 
garrison  at  the  fort  did  not  exceed  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  men.  Against  a  well-conducted 
attack  the  works  would  not  have  been  tenable  for 
an  hour ;  but  expecting  immediate  relief  from 
Savannah,  Colonel  Mclntosh  determined  on  oppo- 
sition to  the  last  extremity.  When,  therefore, 
Fuser  summoned  the  garrison  to  surrender  the 
fort,  Mclntosh,  undeterred  by  the  bloody  threat 
of  extermination,  answered  in  four  bold  defiant 
words,  "  Come  and  take  it."  This  heroic  reply 
deterred  Fuser  from  making  an  attack,  until  he 
should  be  joined  by  the  forces  under  Provost. 
Learning  soon  afterward  that  the  latter  had  re- 
treated, Fuser,  alarmed  by  the  tidings  of  troops 
advancing  from  Savannah,  and  hearing  nothing 
of  the  expected  reinforcements  from  the  north, 
supposed  that  Provost  had  fallen  back  before  a 
superior  force.  He  therefore  raised  the  siege  and 
returned  to  St.  John's  River,  where  he  met  Pro- 
vost, and  where  each  attributed  the  failure  of  the 
expedition  to  the  misconduct  of  the  other. 

When  Fuser  retreated  from  Sunbury,  he  left 
the  regular  troops  of  his  command  at  Frederica, 

on  St.  Simon's  Island,  where  the  old  military 
12 


134  HISTORY  OP   GEORGIA. 


works  of  General  Oglethorpe  were  temporarily 
repaired  for  defence.  The  loyalists  proceeded 
with  Fuser  to  St.  John's,  and  thence  to  St.  Augus- 
tine, where  the  booty  was  deposited  in  safety, 
and  preparations  made  to  return  to  Georgia  with 
a  more  formidable  force. 

General  Provost,  having  been  disappointed  in 
this  expedition,  determined  to  suspend  further 
operations  until  he  should  receive  certain  informa- 
tion of  the  arrival  of  the  transports  from  New 
York.  In  the  mean  time,  he  held  himself  in 
readiness  for  that  event. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Defensive  operations  of  General  Howe — Approach  of  the  Bri- 
tish fleet — Exposed  condition  of  Savannah — British  army 
land  at  Brewton's  Hill — Capture  of  Savannah — Provost  takes 
Sunbury — The  Rev.  Moses  Allen  drowned — Lincoln  assumes 
command  of  the  southern  army — Provost  unites  with  Camp- 
bell— Proclamations  of  the  enemy — Unsuccessful  conference 
for  the  exchange  of  prisoners. 

DURING  the  interval  that  elapsed  between  the 
retreat  of  Provost  and  Fuser  into  Florida,  and 
the  arrival  of  British  reinforcements  from  New 
York,  General  Howe  endeavoured  to  place  the 
province  of  Georgia  in  the  best  state  of  defence 
that  circumstances  would  admit. 

From  his  letters  to  Congress,  the  attempt  ap- 
pears to  have  been  both  difficult  and  unsatisfac- 


BRITISH   INVASION.  135 

tory.  He  complained  that  all  the  military  works 
were  in  ruins ;  that  there  were  no  tools,  nor  any 
apparent  disposition  to  make  the  necessary  re- 
pairs ;  that  the  militia  came  and  went  as  they 
pleased ;  and  that  he  had  more  trouble  with  the 
officers  than  with  the  men. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  people  of  Georgia 
charged  Howe  with  military  incapacity ;  and  the 
influence  of  the  state  was  exerted  to  remove  him 
from  the  chief  command ;  but  as  Congress  had, 
as  yet,  seen  nothing  to  justify  this  exercise  of  its 
power,  the  request,  from  motives  of  delicacy,  was 
not  complied  with. 

It  was  during  this  untoward  state  of  affairs  in 
the  province  that  tidings  reached  Savannah  of 
the  approach  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  the  transports, 
escorted  by  a  squadron  of  the  fleet,  under  the 
command  of  Commodore  Sir  Hyde  Parker,  crossed 
the  bar  and  came  up  to  Cockspur  Island. 

The  British  land  forces  consisted  of  the  seventy- 
first  regiment  of  Royal  Scots,  two  battalions  of 
Hessians,  four  battalions  of  provincials,  and  a 
detachment  of  artillery.  They  were  commanded 
by  Lieutenant-colonel  Archibald  Campbell,  an 
officer  of  acknowledged  skill  and  bravery. 

Having  made  arrangements  for  landing,  the 
Vigilant  man-of-war,  Keppel  brig,  Greenwich 
sloop-of-war,  and  the  Comet  galley,  came  up  the 
river  with  a  strong  tide  and  favourable  breeze, 


136  HISTORY  OP  GEORGIA. 


followed  by  the  transports  in  three  divisions. 
About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  28th, 
the  Vigilant  opened  the  reach  at  Four-mile  Point, 
and  was  cannonaded  by  the  American  galleys 
Congress  and  Dee,  but  without  much  effect. 
Night  coming  on,  some  of  the  transports  grounded 
on  a  mud  flat,  but  got  off  at  high-water,  and  pro- 
ceeded up,  in  the  morning,  above  Five-fathom 
Hole,  opposite  to  Brewton's  Hill,  where  the  first 
division  of  light  infantry  debarked,  and  marched 
up  to  take  possession  of  the  high  ground,  so  as  to 
cover  the  landing  of  the  troops  from  the  other 
transports. 

Savannah,  at  this  time,  was  in  the  most  defence- 
less condition  imaginable.  With  the  exception 
of  a  few  guns  mounted  upon  a  battery  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  city,  and  only  calculated  to 
defend  the  approach  by  water,  every  other  part 
of  the  town  was  exposed,  and  the  ground  offered 
no  advantage  against  an  equal  force. 

General  Howe  had  formed  his  encampment 
southeast  of  the  town  of  Savannah,  anxiously 
waiting  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  of  miltia  and 
the  continental  troops  from  South  Carolina,  under 
the  command  of  Major-general  Benjamin  Lincoln. 
Howe's  army  had  not  yet  recovered  from  the 
fatal  effects  of  the  Florida  campaign,  the  pre- 
ceding summer  :  about  one-fourth  were  confined 
by  disease,  and  many  of  his  convalescents  yet  too 
feeble  to  encounter  the  fatigues  of  a  battle.  The 


APPROACHES   TO   SAVANNAH.  137 


dread  of  a  climate,  where  disease  had  produced 
more  terrors,  and  proved  not  less  fatal  than  the 
sword,  retarded  the  progress  of  militia,  and  pre- 
vented many  from  returning  who  were  absent  on 
furlough.  On  the  day  of  battle,  Howe's  army, 
exclusive  of  militia,  amounted  to  six  hundred  and 
seventy-two,  rank  and  file.  The  force  of  the 
enemy  was  two  thousand  one  hundred,  including 
land  troops,  seamen,  and  marines ;  but  it  was 
thought  by  Howe  that  the  enemy  exhibited  the 
appearance  of  greater  numbers  than  what  was 
really  possessed,  and  that  the  opposing  armies 
were  nearly  equal. 

The  town  of  Savannah  is  situated  on  high, 
level,  sandy  ground,  forty  feet  above  the  surface 
of  the  water,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  and 
approachable  by  land  at  three  points  ; — from  the 
high  ground  of  Brewton's  Hill  and  Thunderbolt, 
on  the  east  by  a  road  and  causeway  over  a 
morass,  with  rice-fields  on  the  north  side  of  the 
causeway  to  the  river,  and  the  morass  with  wooded 
swamps  from  the  causeway  southward  several 
miles  ;  from  the  south,  by  the  roads  from  White 
Bluff  and  Ogechee  Ferry,  which  unite  near  the 
town ;  and  from  the  westward,  by  a  road  and 
causeway  over  the  deep  swamps  of  Musgrove's 
Creek,  with  rice-fields  from  the  causeway  to  the 
river  on  the  north,  and  by  Musgrove's  Swamp 
leading  in  from  the  southward.  From  the  eastern 


12* 


138  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


causeway  to  that  on  the  west  is  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile. 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th,  Colonel  Elbert 
suggested  to  Howe  the  advantage  of  occupying 
Brewton's  Hill,  and  offered  to  defend  it  with  his 
regiment ;  but  his  proposition  was  rejected. 
About  the  same  time,  Colonel  Walton  informed 
the  general  of  a  private  way  through  the  swamp, 
by  which  the  enemy  could  march  from  the  high 
grounds  of  Brewton's  Hill  and  gain  the  rear  of 
the  American  right ;  but  though  it  admitted  of 
easy  defence,  General  Howe  did  not  avail  himself 
of  the  advantage  which  would  have  resulted  from 
its  occupation.  By  this  pass,  so  blindly  neg- 
lected, Colonel  Campbell  approached. 

Howe  formed  for  battle  on  the  southeast  side 
of  the  town.  His  centre  was  opposed  to  the  head 
of  the  causeway  by  which  he  believed  the  enemy 
must  advance ;  his  left  with  the  rice-fields  in 
front,  and  flanked  by  the  river ;  his  right  with 
the  morass  in  front,  and  flanked  obliquely  by  the 
wooded  swamp,  and  one  hundred  of  the  Georgia 
militia. 

Having  made  his  disposition,  Howe  detached 
Captain  John  C.  Smith,  of  South  Carolina,  with 
his  company  of  forty  infantry,  to  occupy  Brew- 
ton's  Hill  and  the  head  of  the  causeway.  The 
force  was  altogether  inadequate  to  its  object. 
Smith  defended  his  post  with  gallantry,  but  was 
compelled  to  retreat,  which  he  accomplished  with- 


HOWE  S   INDISCRETION. 


139 


out  loss  of  men.  The  enemy  lost  in  this  affair 
one  captain  and  two  privates  killed,  and  five  pri- 
vates wounded. 

Ignorant  as  yet  of  the  force  of  the  enemy,  but 
now  believing  it  to  be  greatly  superior  to  his  own, 
Howe  called  a  council  of  his  field  officers  to  advise 
him  whether  to  retreat  or  defend  Savannah.  Very 
rashly  they  resolved  to  defend  the  town  to  the 
last  extremity.  General  Howe  certainly  ought 
not  to  have  risked  an  action  with  superior  num- 
bers, when  he  had  certain  information  that  Gene- 
ral Lincoln  was  advancing  with  a  body  of  troops 
to  reinforce  him,  and  with  whom  he  could  have 
formed  a  junction  in  two  days. 

The  consequences  were  disastrous  in  the  ex- 
treme. After  Colonel  Campbell  had  formed  his 
army  on  Brewton's  Hill,  he  moved  forward  and 
took  a  position  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  the 
American  front,  where  he  manoeuvred  to  excite  a 
belief  that  he  intended  an  attack  on  their  centre 
and  left.  At  the  same  time  a  body  of  infantry 
and  New  York  volunteers,  under  the  command 
of  Major  Sir  James  Baird,  filed  off,  unperceived, 
from  the  rear,  and,  under  the  guidance  of  an  old 
negro,  penetrated  the  swamp  by  the  pass  which 
Howe  had  so  carelessly  neglected,  and  fell  sud- 
denly upon  the  American  rear.  At  this  moment 
Campbell  moved  forward  and  attacked  the  front. 
Hemmed  in  between  two  fires,  the  American  line 
was  almost  immediately  broken,  and  the  men 


140  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


retreated  in  great  disorder  towards  the  only  prac- 
ticable outlet  across  Musgrove's  Swamp,  west 
of  the  town.  Before  they  gained  the  head  of 
the  causeway,  they  found,  to  their  dismay,  that 
the  enemy  already  occupied  a  position  which 
enabled  them  to  dispute  the  passage. 

At  length,  however,  by  the  extraordinary  ex- 
ertions of  Colonel  Roberts,  the  American  centre 
gained  the  causeway  and  accomplished  their  re- 
treat. The  right  flank  suffered  severely.  The 
left,  under  Colonel  Elbert,  continued  the  conflict 
until  a  retreat  was  impracticable.  He  attempted 
to  escape  with  a  part  of  his  troops,  under  a  gal- 
ling fire  from  the  high  grounds  of  Ewensburg, 
through  the  rice-fields  between  the  causeway  and 
the  river;  but  as  it  was  high-tide  when  they 
reached  the  creek,  only  those  who  could  swim 
were  enabled  to  cross  it ;  the  others  were  made 
prisoners  or  drowned. 

About  one  hundred  Georgia  militia,  under 
Colonel  Walton,  posted  on  the  south  common  of 
the  town,  made  a  gallant  defence  until  their 
colonel  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  The 
way  of  retreat  being  cut  off,  most  of  the  men 
were  killed,  wounded,  or  taken.  Some  of  them, 
who  were  citizens  of  Savannah,  were  bayoneted 
in  the  streets  by  their  victorious  pursuers.  Gene- 
ral Howe  retreated  with  the  remains  of  his  army 
to  Cherokee  Hill,  about  eight  miles  from  the  field 
of  battle,  where  he  halted  till  the  rear  came  up. 


BRITISH  INHUMANITY.  141 


He  then  marched  up  the  Savannah  River  to  the 
Sister's  and  Zubley's  ferries,  and  crossed  over 
into  South  Carolina. 

Few  conquests  have  ever  been  made  with  so 
little  loss  to  the  victor.  The  enemy  had  only 
seven  killed,  and  nineteen  wounded. 

The  American  army  lost  eighty-three  men 
killed,  and  thirty-eight  officers ;  and  four  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates,  including  the  sick,  wounded,  and  the  aged 
inhabitants  of  the  town  and  country,  were  made 
prisoners.  The  fort,  with  forty-eight  pieces  of 
cannon,  and  twenty-three  mortars  and  howitzers, 
with  all  the  ammunition  and  stores  belonging  to 
them,  a  large  quantity  of  provisions,  the  ship- 
ping in  the  river,  and  the  capital  of  Georgia,  all 
fell  into  the  possession  of  the  British  army,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  hours.  The  private  soldiers 
who  were  made  prisoners  on  this  occasion  were 
alternately  persuaded  and  threatened  to  induce 
them  to  enlist  into  the  British  army :  those  who 
resolutely  refused  were  crowded  on  board  of 
prison-ships,  and  during  the  succeeding  summer, 
four  or  five  of  them,  died  every  day :  the  staff- 
officers,  particularly  those  of  the  quarter-master's 
and  commissary's  departments,  were  treated  in  a 
similar  way.  Many  gentlemen  who  had  been  ac- 
customed to  ease  and  affluence  were  consigned 
to  these  abominable  prison-ships :  among  the 
number  was  the  venerable  Jonathan  Bryan,  bend- 


142  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 

ing  under  the  weight  of  years  and  infirmities, 
whose  daughter,  when  she  was  entreating  with 
Commodore  Sir  Hyde  Parker  to  soften  the  suf- 
ferings of  her  father,  was  treated  by  him  with 
vulgar  rudeness  and  contempt. 

When  General  Howe  halted  at  Cherokee  Hill, 
he  despatched  Lieutenant  Tennill  with  orders  to 
Lieutenant  Aaron  Smith  of  the  third  regiment 
of  South  Carolina,  who  commanded  at  Ogechee 
Ferry,  and  to  Major  Joseph  Lane,  who  com- 
manded at  S anbury,  to  evacuate  their  posts,  re- 
treat across  the  country,  and  join  the  army  at  the 
Sister's  Ferry.  Lieutenant  Smith  immediately 
complied ;  but  Major  Lane,  influenced  by  Captain 
Dollar,  who  commanded  a  corps  of  artillery,  and 
many  others  of  the  inhabitants  whose  pecuniary 
ruin  was  at  stake,  resolved  to  defend  his  post. 
On  the  6th  of  January,  1779,  he  was  attacked 
by  General  Provost,  with  an  army  of  two  thou- 
sand men  from  Florida,  and  after  a  short  conflict 
compelled  to  surrender  at  discretion.  By  this 
rash  and  unwarrantable  conduct,  the  Americans 
lost  twenty-four  pieces  of  artillery,  ammunition, 
and  provisions,  and  the  garrison,  consisting  of 
seventeen  commissioned  officers  and  one  hundred 
and  ninety-five  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates.  During  this  assault  one  captain  and 
three  privates  were  killed  and  seven  wounded. 
The  British  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  only 
four  men. 


REV.  MOSES  ALLEN.  143 

The  Washington  and  Bulloch  galleys  were 
stranded  and  burned  by  their  crews,  who  took 
passage  for  Charleston  on  board  of  Captain  Sal- 
ter's  sloop,  but  were  captured  by  a  British  tender 
and  taken  to  Savannah. 

For  this  disobedience  of  orders,  Lane  was  sub- 
sequently tried  by  a  court-martial,  and  dismissed 
the  service. 

After  Sunbury  fell  into  the  possession  of  the 
British  troops,  the  continental  officers  who  were 
made  prisoners  at  Savannah  were  sent  to  that 
place  on  their  parole,  except  the  Rev.  Moses 
Allen,  who  had  accepted  a  commission  as  chaplain 
in  the  Georgia  brigade. 

This  gentleman  was  refused  the  privileges  al- 
lowed to  the  other  officers,  and  confined  on  board 
a  prison-ship.  His  animated  exertions  on  the 
field  of  battle,  and  his  patriotic  exhortations  from 
the  pulpit,  had  exposed  him  to  the  particular 
resentment  of  the  enemy.  Wearied  by  long  con- 
finement, and  hopeless  of  speedy  release,  he  de- 
termined to  regain  his  liberty,  or  lose  his  life  in 
the  attempt.  In  pursuance  of  this  hazardous 
resolution,  he  leaped  overboard  with  the  hope  of 
being  able  to  swim  to  one  of  the  islands,  assisted 
by  the  flood-tide,  but  was  unfortunately  drowned. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Allen  was  greatly  lamented  by 
the  friends  of  independence,  and  particularly  by 
his  brethren  in  arms,  who  justly  admired  him 
for  his  bravery,  exemplary  life,  and  many  virtues. 


144  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


Major-general  Benjamin  Lincoln,  who  had  been 
previously  appointed  by  Congress  to  take  the 
command  of  the  southern  army,  reached  Purys- 
burg,  a  few  miles  above  Savannah,  on  the  3d  of 
January.  His  troops,  consisting  of  levies  from 
North  and  South  Carolina,  amounted  to  twelve 
hundred  men. 

On  the  4th,  he  was  joined  by  the  remnant  of 
Howe's  army,  which  had  been  placed  under  the 
orders  of  Colonel  Huger. 

Finding  himself  in  no  condition  to  advance 
against  the  enemy,  Lincoln  established  his  head- 
quarters at  Purysburg,  and  waited  for  the  ex- 
pected reinforcement. 

When  General  Provost  had  united  his  troops 
with  those  under  Campbell,  his  force  consisted 
of  nearly  four  thousand  men.  He  determined 
to  complete  the  subjugation  of  Georgia,  and 
establish  military  posts  as  far  as  the  populous 
settlements  in  the  back  country  extended.  He 
confided  the  garrison  of  Savannah  and  the  police 
of  the  neighbouring  country  to  Lieutenant-colonel 
Innes ;  he  established  a  fort  at  Ebenezer,  twenty- 
five  miles  above  Savannah,  and  advanced  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Campbell  at  the  head  of  eight 
hundred  infantry  to  capture  Augusta,  and  take 
advantage  of  circumstances  in  completing  the 
conquest  of  the  province.  With  the  main  body 
he  watched  the  movements  of  the  American 
general.  The  inhabitants  of  Savannah  and  the 


BRITISH   PROCLAMATION.  145 


surrounding  country  were  ordered  by  proclama- 
tion to  bring  in  their  arms  and  accoutrements 
of  every  description,  and  to  discover  where  arms, 
accoutrements,  stores,  and  effects  were  buriod 
or  otherwise  concealed. 

Regulations  were  established ;  places  desig- 
nated for  the  landing  of  boats  ;  and,  to  prevent 
property  from  being  carried  away,  no  departure 
was  allowed  without  a  permit  from  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  port. 

A  joint  proclamation  was  also  issued  by  the 
commanders  of  the  royal  army  and  navy,  offer- 
ing peace,  freedom,  and  protection  to  the  king's 
subjects  in  America,  desiring  them  to  repair 
without  loss  of  time  and  unite  their  forces  un- 
der the  royal  standard ;  reprobating  the  idea  of 
forming  a  league  with  the  French ;  promising 
freedom  from  the  imposition  of  taxes  by  the  Bri- 
tish Parliament,  and  securing  them  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  every  privilege  consistent  with  the  mutual 
interests  of  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country. 
Ample  protection  was  offered  to  the  persons  and 
effects  of  all  who  would  immediately  come  in  and 
acknowledge  their  allegiance  to  the  British  crown 
and  support  it  with  their  arms.  Deserters  of 
every  description  were  invited  to  return  within 
three  months,  and  such  inhabitants  as  were  in- 
clined to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  proclamation 
were  desired  to  repair  to  head-quarters  at  Savan- 
nah, and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance. 


13 


146  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

<*f 

— ,  1?; 

On  the  llth  of  January,  another  proclamation 
was  issued,  offering  a  reward  of  two  guineas  for 
every  citizen  who  adhered  to  the  American  cause, 
and  ten  guineas  for  every  committee  or  assembly- 
man, who  should  be  taken  and  delivered  to  the 
commanding  officer  of  any  of  the  king's  garrisons. 

The  families  of  those  who  adhered  to  the  cause 
of  their  country,  whether  in  the  camp  or  on  board 
of  prison-ships,  were  stripped  by  the  British  of 
every  article  of  property,  even  to  the  common 
necessaries  of  life.  From  this  cause  many  of 
them  were  reduced  to  the  most  deplorable  ex- 
tremities. 

Upon  a  representation  of  the  suffering  of  the 
Americans  in  captivity  being  made  to  General 
Lincoln  at  Purysburg,  the  general  wrote  to  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Campbell,  then  on  his  march  to 
Augusta,  and  proposed  a  conference  with  him  at 
Zubley's  Ferry,  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  and 
the  parole  of  the  officers  until  exchanged.  A 
negotiation  was  consented  to,  and  Lieutenant- 
colonel  James  M.  Provost  was  nominated  to  con- 
fer with  Major  Thomas  Pinckney  on  the  subject. 
They  had  an  interview  on  the  31st  of  January, 
and  terms  were  proposed;  but  being  such  as 
Major  Pinckney  could  not  in  honour  allow,  the 
negotiation  terminated  in  a  disagreement. 


POSITION   OF  LINCOLN.  147 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Position  of  Lincoln — His  force — Moultrie  defeats  Gardiner- 
Skirmishes  in  Burke  county — Campbell  occupies  Augusta — 
Pickens  and  Dooley  besiege  Hamilton  at  Carr's  Fort — Pur- 
suit of  Boyd— Battle  of  Kettle  Creek — Death  of  Boyd — 
British  outpost  surprised  and  captured. 

THE  position  chosen  by  General  Lincoln  at 
Purysburg  was  an  excellent  one.  It  enabled  him 
to  watch  the  movements  of  General  Provost,  and 
wait  for  reinforcements. 

The  freshets  in  Savannah  River  at  that  season 
of  the  year  overflowed  the  swamps  from  two  to 
four  miles  in  breadth,  and  upwards  of  one  hundred 
miles  in  length  from  the  sea,  so  that  neither 
general  could  assail  the  other  with  any  prospect 
of  advantage. 

By  a  field  return,  on  the  1st  of  February, 
General  Lincoln  had  three  thousand  six  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  men,  composed  of  about  six  hun- 
dred continental  troops,  five  hundred  new  levies, 
and  one  thousand  three  hundred  effective  militia. 
The  residue  were  invalids,  and  without  arms.  If 
the  American  troops  had  been  all  effective  and 
veteran,  General  Lincoln  would  have  been  about 
equal  to  his  antagonist;  but  his  numbers  were 
principally  made  up  by  militia,  on  which  no  de- 


148  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

pendance  could  be  placed,  when  opposed  to  a 
veteran  army.  From  the  equality  of  the  militia 
•with  their  officers,  and  independence  at  home, 
they  were  unwilling  to  submit  to  the  requisite 
discipline  of  a  camp  :  they  must  know  where  they 
were  to  go,  what  they  were  going  to  do,  and 
how  long  they  were  to  be  absent,  before  they 
would  move ;  and  if  not  satisfied  on  these  points, 
and  permitted  to  do  very  much  as  they  pleased, 
they  would  be  off,  knowing  that  their  punishment 
for  desertion  would  be  light. 

Early  in  February,  a  party  of  the  enemy, 
commanded  by  Major  Gardiner,  embarked  at 
Savannah,  and  proceeded  by  the  inland  passage 
to  Beaufort,  in  South  Carolina ;  they  effected  a 
landing,  but  were  soon  after  attacked  and  defeated 
by  General  Moultrie,  with  an  equal  force,  nearly 
all  militia  of  Charleston.  In  this  engagement 
forty  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and  wounded: 
they  fled  to  their  boats,  and  returned  to  Savannah. 

While  Lieutenant-colonel  Campbell  was  ad- 
vancing to  take  possession  of  Augusta,  he  de- 
tached Colonels  Brown  and  McGirth,  with  four 
hundred  mounted  militia,  to  make  a  forced  march 
to  the  jail  in  Burke  county,  and  form  a  junction 
with  Colonel  Thomas  and  a  party  of  loyalists. 
On  his  way  thither,  Brown  fell  in  with  a  party  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  militia  under  Colonels  Few 
and  Twiggs,  and  in  the  attack  which  ensued,  he 
was  defeated  with  the  loss  of  several  men.  Ex- 


SKIRMISHES.  149 


pecting  that  Brown  would  be  reinforced  by  Camp- 
bell, Twiggs  and  Few  retreated  the  ensuing  day. 

Brown  rallied  his  troops  during  the  night,  and 
having  been  strengthened  in  the  mean  time  by 
some  refugees  from  South  Carolina,  and  a  de- 
tachment under  Major  Gardiner,  he  determined 
to  renew  the  attack.  He  was  defeated  with 
greater  loss  than  before,  himself  being  among  the 
wounded.  In  this  skirmish  Captain  Joshua  Inman 
killed  three  of  the  enemy  with  his  own  hand. 

Shortly  after  this,  Twiggs  and  Few  being 
joined  by  a  detachment  of  troops  under  General 
Elbert,  the  united  commands  crossed  the  Savan- 
nah River,  and  skirmished  with  Campbell ;  but 
not  receiving  the  reinforcements  they  expected, 
were  compelled  to  retire,  and  Campbell  took  pos- 
session of  Augusta  about  the  last  of  January, 
where  he  established  a  post,  and  placed  it  under 
the  orders  of  Colonel  Brown. 

About  the  1st  of  February,  Campbell  spread 
his  military  posts  over  the  most  populous  parts 
of  Georgia,  and  all  opposition  ceased,  though  for 
a  few  days  only.  The  oath  of  allegiance  was 
administered  to  the  inhabitants  who  remained, 
and  the  torch  applied  to  the  habitations  of  those 
who  had  fled  into  Carolina. 

When  the  families  of  the  latter  were  placed  in 
security,  the  men  assembled  under  their  leader, 
Colonel  John  Dooley,  and  took  a  position  on  the 
Carolina  shore  of  the  Savannah  River,  about  thirty 

13* 


150  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 

_____  f 

miles  above  Augusta.  McGirth,  with  three  hun- 
dred loyalists,  occupied  a  position  on  the  Georgia 
shore,  five  miles  below.  Dooley  returned  into 
Georgia  with  a  part  of  his  men,  but  being  closely 
pressed  by  one  of  McGirth's  detachments  under 
Major  Hamilton,  was  compelled  to  recross  the 
Savannah  River. 

Hamilton  then  encamped  at  Waters's  planta- 
tion, three  miles  below  Petersburg,  and  Dooley 
opposite  to  him  in  Carolina,  where  he  was  joined 
by  Colonel  Andrew  Pickens,  with  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men  of  his  regiment. 

With  this  united  force  it  was  determined  to  as- 
sault Hamilton's  detachment.  But  the  latter  had 
already  marched  across  the  country,  and  was  in 
possession  of  Carr's  Fort  before  the  main  body  of 
the  Americans  came  up  with  them.  The  baggage 
and  horses  of  the  enemy  fell  into  the  hands  of 
their  pursuers. 

Hamilton  was  summoned  to  surrender,  but  re- 
fused. Knowing  that  the  garrison  were  without 
food  or  water,  a  siege  was  determined  upon,  under 
the  confident  belief  that  they  could  not  hold  out 
twenty-four  hours.  But  disappointment  awaited 
the  besiegers.  An  express  arrived  from  Captain 
Pickens,  with  the  information  that  Colonel  Boyd, 
at  the  head  of  eight  hundred  loyalists,  was  pass- 
ing through  Ninety-six  district,  on  his  way  into 
Georgia,  ravaging  and  burning  all  before  him. 

The  Americans  instantly  raised  the  siege,  and 


MILITARY   OPERATIONS.  151 


started  in  pursuit  of  Boyd.  In  the  mean  time, 
Captain  Anderson,  with  eighty  men  of  Pickens's 
regiment,  having  learned  that  the  enemy  were 
advancing,  took  post  about  five  miles  above 
Cherokee  Ford,  and  disputed  Boyd's  passage  into 
Georgia. 

In  the  skirmish  which  ensued  the  American  loss 
was  sixteen  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  same 
number  taken  prisoners.  Boyd  acknowledged  a 
loss  of  one  hundred  in  killed,  wounded,  and  miss- 
ing; many  of  this  number  deserted  him,  and 
returned  to  their  homes.  After  the  skirmish, 
Anderson  retreated,  and  joined  Pickens  and 
Dooley  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  the  Americans  passed 
over  Savannah  River  into  Georgia,  and  advanced 
to  Fishdam  Ford  on  Broad  River.  Captain  Neal, 
with  a  party  of  observation,  was  ordered  to  gain 
the  enemy's  rear,  and  occasionally  send  a  man 
back  with  the  result  of  his  discoveries,  so  as  to 
keep  the  main  body  well  informed  of  the  enemy's 
movements.  To  avoid  danger,  Boyd  at  first 
shaped  his  course  to  the  westward,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  13th,  crossed  Broad  River  near 
the  fork,  at  a  place  now  called  Webb's  Ferry, 
and  thence  turned  toward  Augusta,  expecting  to 
form  a  junction  with  McGirth  at  a  place  appointed 
on  Little  River.  The  corps  of  observation  under 
Captain  Neal  hung  close  upon  the  enemy's  rear, 
and  made  frequent  communications  to  Pickens 


152  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

and  Dooley.  The  Americans  "crossed  Broad 
River,  and  encamped  for  the  night  on  Clark's 
Creek,  within  four  miles  of  the  enemy. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  the  Ameri- 
cans resumed  their  march  with  a  quickened  pace, 
and  soon  approached  the  enemy's  rear,  but  with 
such  caution  as  to  remain  undiscovered.  The 
line  of  march  was  the  order  of  battle,  wherever 
the  face  of  the  country  admitted  of  it.  Colonel 
Dooley  commanded  the  right  wing,  and  Lieute- 
nant-colonel Clarke  the  left,  each  consisting  of 
one  hundred  men.  The  centre,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Pickens,  consisted  of  two  hundred,  and 
an  advance  guard  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in 
front.  Under  three  leaders  whose  courage  and 
military  talents  had  been  often  tested,  this  inferior 
number,  of  four  against  seven,  looked  forward  to 
a  victory  with  great  confidence.  Early  in  the 
morning  they  passed  the  ground  where  the  enemy 
encamped  the  preceding  night. 

Colonel  Boyd,  unapprehensive  of  danger,  had 
halted  at  a  farm  on  the  north  side  of  Kettle 
Creek.  His  horses  were  turned  out  to  forage 
among  the  reeds  in  the  swamp;  some  bullocks 
were  killed,  and  corn  parched  to  refresh  his 
troops,  who  had  been  on  short  allowance  for  three 
days.  The  encampment  was  formed  on  the  edge 
of  the  farm  next  to  the  creek,  on  an  open  piece 
of  ground,  flanked  on  two  sides  by  the  cane- 
swamp.  The  second  officer  in  command  was 


THE   BKITISH    SURPRISED.  153 

Lieutenant-colonel  Moore,  of  North  Carolina, 
who,  it  is  said,  possessed  neither  courage  nor 
military  skill :  the  third  in  command,  Major 
Spurgen,  is  said  to  have  acted  with  bravery,  and 
gave  some  evidence  of  military  talents. 

After  the  Americans  had  marched  three  or  four 
miles,  the  enemy's  drums  were  heard  to  beat. 
They  halted  for  a  few  minutes,  examined  their 
guns,  and  primed  them  afresh.  Captain  McCall 
had  been  ordered  in  front  to  examine  the  enemy's 
situation  and  condition.  He  reported  the  situation 
of  the  encampment  and  the  nature  of  the  adjacent 
ground.  The  enemy  were,  apparently,  unsuspi- 
cious of  danger,  he  having  passed  their  flank 
within  musket-shot,  and  in  full  view.  Satisfied 
upon  these  points,  the  Americans  advanced  to 
the  attack.  As  the  camp  was  approached,  the 
enemy's  pickets  fired  and  retreated.  Boyd  or- 
dered the  line  to  be  formed  in  the  rear  of  his 
camp,  and  advanced  at  the  head  of  one  hundred 
men,  who  were  sheltered  by  a  fence  and  some 
fallen  timber.  The  American  centre  filed  off"  a 
little  to  the  right,  to  gain  the  advantage  of  higher 
ground.  Boyd  contended  for  the  fence  with 
bravery,  but  was  overpowered  and  compelled  to 
order  a  retreat  to  the  main  body.  On  his  retreat 
he  fell  under  two  wounds  through  the  body,  and 
one  through  the  thigh,  which  proved  mortal.  The 
other  two  divisions  were  embarrassed  in  passing 
through  the  cane,  but  by  this  time  had  reached 


154  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


their  points  of  destination,  apd  the  battle  became 
warm,  close,  and  general,  and  some  of  the  enemy 
who  had  not  formed  fled  into  the  cane  and  passed 
over  the  creek,  leaving  behind  them  their  horses, 
baggage,  and  some  of  their  arms.  Colonel  Clarke 
observed  a  rising  ground  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  creek,  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  right,  on 
which  he  believed  they  would  attempt  to  form. 
After  a  warm  contest,  which  lasted  an  hour,  the 
enemy  retreated  through  the  swamp  over  the 
creek. 

Clarke  ordered  his  division  to  follow  him 
across  the  creek ;  at  the  same  moment  his  horse 
was  shot,  and  fell  under  him  ;  he  was  quickly  re- 
mounted, and  fortunately  fell  into  a  path  which 
led  to  a  fording-place  on  the  creek,  and  gained 
the  side  of  the  hill.  His  division  had  not  heard, 
or  had  not  understood  the  order,  in  consequence 
of  which  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  it  followed 
him.  While  Major  Spurgen  was  forming  the 
enemy  upon  one  side  of  the  hill,  Colonel  Clarke 
attacked  him  upon  the  other  side,  which  gave 
intimation  to  the  remainder  of  his  division,  by 
which  he  was  soon  joined.  Colonels  Pickens  and 
Dooley  pressed  through  the  swamp  with  the  main 
body  in  pursuit,  and  when  they  emerged  from  the 
cane,  the  battle  was  again  renewed  with  great 
vigour.  For  a  considerable  time  the  contest  was 
obstinate  and  bloody,  and  the  issue  doubtful.  The 
Americans  finally  gained  the  summit  of  the  hill, 


BRILLIANT  VICTORY.  155 

when  the  enemy  began  to  retreat  in  some  confu- 
sion, and  fled  from  the  field  of  battle. 

This  engagement  lasted  one  hour  and  forty-five 
minutes,  and  for  the  last  half  hour  was  close  and 
general.  Great  credit  is  given  to  Colonel  Clarke 
for  his  foresight  in  speedily  occupying  the  rising 
ground  on  the  west  side  of  the  creek.  Consider- 
ing the  inequality  of  the  troops  in  point  of  military 
experience  and  equipment,  and  that  the  numbers 
in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy  were  seven  to  four, 
the  result  of  this  engagement  reflects  great 
honour  and  credit  on  the  American  officers  and 
soldiers  who  were  engaged  in  it,  and  it  was  justly 
considered  a  brilliant  victory. 

About  seventy  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and 
died  of  their  wounds,  and  seventy-five  were  taken 
prisoners,  including  the  wounded  who  could  be 
carried  off  the  ground.  The  American  loss  was 
nine  killed,  and  twenty-three  wounded — two  mor- 
tally. The  prisoners  that  Boyd  had  taken  at 
the  skirmish  on  Savannah  River  were  in  charge 
of  a  guard  in  advance,  which  consisted  of  thirty- 
three  men,  including  officers,  with  orders,  in  case 
of  disaster,  to  move  towards  Augusta.  When 
the  guard  heard  the  result  of  the  engagement, 
they  voluntarily  surrendered  themselves  prisoners 
to  those  whom  they  had  in  captivity,  upon  a 
promise  of  their  influence  for  pardon  and  permis- 
sion to  return  home.  This  promise  was  complied 
with,  upon  condition  that  they  would  take  the 


156  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

oath   of    allegiance   to  the   American    govern- 
ment. 

After  the  action  was  ended,  Colonel  Pickens 
went  to  Colonel  Boyd  and  tendered  him  any  ser- 
vices which  his  present  situation  would  authorize, 
and  observed,  that  as  his  wounds  appeared  to  be 
mortal,  he  would  recommend  those  preparations 
which  approaching  death  required.  Boyd  thanked 
him  for  his  civilities,  and  inquired  what  had  been 
the  result  of  the  battle.  Upon  being  informed 
that  victory  was  with  the  Americans,  he  ob- 
served that  it  would  have  been  otherwise  if  he 
had  not  fallen.  He  said  that  he  had  marched 
from  his  rendezvous  with  eight  hundred  men ; 
that  one  hundred  of  that  number  were  killed  and 
wounded,  or  had  deserted  at  Savannah  River; 
and  that  on  the  morning  of  the  action,  he  had 
seven  hundred  men  under  his  command.  He  had 
the  promise  of  Colonel  Campbell,  that  McGrirth, 
with  five  hundred  more,  should  join  him  on  Little 
River,  about  six  miles  from  the  field  of  battle, 
on  that  evening  or  the  ensuing  morning.  He  con- 
cluded by  saying  that  he  had  but  a  few  hours  to 
live,  and  desired  that  Colonel  Pickens  would 
leave  two  men  with  him  to  furnish  him  with 
water,  and  bury  his  body  after  he  died.  He  also 
asked  Colonel  Pickens  to  write  to  Mrs.  Boyd,  in- 
forming her  of  his  fate,  and  to  send*  her  a  few 
articles  which  he  had  about  his  person.  He  ex- 


FATE   OF   THE   INSURGENTS.  157 


pired  early  in  the  night,  and  his  requests  were 
faithfully  complied  with. 

The  insurgents  taken  at  Kettle  Creek  were  con- 
veyed to  South  Carolina  and  tried  by  the  laws  of 
the  state  ;  found  guilty  of  treason,  and  sentenced 
to  death.  Five  of  the  most  atrocious  offenders 
suffered  accordingly  ;  the  others  were  pardoned. 

Of  those  who  fled  from  the  scene  of  action, 
some  took  refuge  in  Florida  ;  some  in  the  Creek 
and  Cherokee  nations ;  and  a  remnant,  under 
command  of  Colonel  Moore,  retreated  to  Augusta, 
where  they  met  with  nothing  but  humiliation, 
scorn,  and  neglect. 

In  the  engagements  at  Carr's  Fort  and  Kettle 
Creek,  the  Americans  took  as  booty  about  six 
hundred  horses  and  their  equipments,  with  a 
quantity  of  arms,  accoutrements,  and  clothing. 
Shortly  after  this  action,  Colonel  Twiggs,  and 
Lieutenant-colonel  John  Mclntosh,  with  some 
militia  from  Richmond  county,  surprised  one  of 
the  British  outposts  at  Herbert's,  consisting  of 
seventy  men ;  killed  and  wounded  several,  and 
compelled  the  remainder  to  surrender. 


158  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Campbell  evacuates  Augusta — Lincoln  proposes  the  recovery 
of  Georgia — Ash  defeated  at  Brier  Creek — Force  of  the  Bri- 
tish in  Georgia — Campbell  leaves  for  England — Censure  of 
Ash  by  a  court  of  inquiry — Embarrassed  condition  of  Lincoln 
— Shameful  treatment  of  the  American  prisoners — Lincoln 
marches  into  Georgia — Provost  advances  towards  Charleston 
— Battle  at  Stono  River — Cooper  defeats  a  British  detach- 
ment— Spencer  captures  a  British  cutter — Sir  James  Wright 
resumes  the  government  of  Georgia. 

UPON  the  approach  of  General  John  Ash  with 
a  body  of  North  Carolina  militia  to  reinforce 
General  Elbert,  Colonel  Campbell  precipitately 
abandoned  Augusta,  and  fell  back  to  a  fortified 
camp  at  Hudson's  Ferry,  about  fifty  miles  from 
Savannah. 

Ash  passed  the  river  at  Augusta  on  the  28th 
of  February,  and  pursued  Campbell  as  far  as 
Brier  Creek,  where  he  halted  and  encamped.  His 
force  was  seventeen  hundred  men.  General  Lin- 
coln was  encamped  at  Purysburg  with  three  thou- 
sand men  ;  General  Rutherford  at  Black  Swamp 
with  seven  hundred ;  and  General  Williamson  at 
Augusta  with  twelve  hundred.  By  concentrat- 
ing these  scattered  forces,  General  Lincoln  be- 
lieved he  would  be  sufficiently  strong  to  commence 
active  operations  against  the  enemy.  A  council 
was  therefore  summoned  to  meet  at  General  Ru- 


ASH'S   DANGEROUS   POSITION.  159 


therford's  quarters  on  the  1st  of  March.  At  this 
council,  it  was  inquired  of  Ash  if  his  position 
was  secure,  and  such  that  his  troops  could  act 
with  the  hest  advantage  ?  General  Ash  ex- 
pressed himself  confidently,  as  to  the  safety  of  his 
command,  against  any  force  it  was  in  the  power 
of  the  enemy  to  bring  against  it. 

He  observed  that  the  enemy  appeared  to  be 
afraid  of  him,  believing  his  numbers  to  be  greater 
than  they  were ;  he  only  asked  for  a  detachment 
of  artillery  with  two  field-pieces,  which  General 
Lincoln  ordered  to  his  assistance. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  while  Ash  was  thus 
boasting  of  the  complete  security  of  his  troops, 
they  were  encamped  in  a  position  the  best  cal- 
culated for  their  defeat  of  any  he  could  possibly 
have  chosen.  On  the  left  of  his  army  was  a 
deep  creek,  on  the  right  a  lagune,,  and  on  the 
rear  the  Savannah  River ;  while  the  front  offered 
an  open  and  uninterrupted  entrance  to  the  enemy. 

Always  prompt  to  take  any  advantage  of  any 
unskilful  conduct  on  the  part  of  his  adversaries, 
Lieutenant-colonel  Campbell  determined  to  strike 
at  Ash  before  "Williamson — who  was  already  on 
the  march  to  join  him — should  be  able  to  come 
to  his  assistance.  Masking  his  real  design  by 
advancing  a  battalion  of  the  seventy-first  regi- 
ment and  a  party  of  South  Carolina  loyalists  to 
Buck  Creek,  three  miles  south  of  Brier  Creek 
bridge,  he  ordered  Lieutenant-colonel  Provost, 


160  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

with  a  force  of  regulars  and  provincials  amount- 
ing to  some  seventeen  hundred  men,  to  march  by 
a  circuitous  route  of  about  forty  miles,  gain  the 
rear  of  General  Ash,  and  surprise  and  attack 
him  in  his  camp. 

In  the  mean  time,  Ash,  having  learned  that 
Campbell  was  manoeuvring  on  his  front,  sent  out 
various  detachments  to  reconnoitre,  until  he  had 
reduced  his  force  in  camp  to  eight  hundred  men. 

From  Williamson's  advanced  parties  Ash  ob- 
tained the  first  intelligence  that  Provost  was 
approaching  his  rear.  These  startling  tidings 
being  soon  afterward  confirmed  by  Colonel  Smith, 
who  was  in  command  of  the  baggage-guard  some 
eight  miles  up  the  river,  General  Ash  ordered  the 
beat  to  arms.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  at 
that  late  hour  cartridges  were  to  be  distributed 
to  the  militia,  some  of  whom  had  rifles,  some  shot- 
guns, a  few  had  muskets,  while  some  were  with- 
out arms. 

Thus  equipped,  without  any  preconcerted  plan, 
General  Ash  ordered  his  troops  into  the  line  of 
battle  in  three  divisions;  the  right,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Young,  and  the  centre  under 
the  command  of  General  Bryant.  The  left  was 
committed  to  the  care  of  General  Elbert  and 
Lieutenant-colonel  John  Mclntosh,  and  consisted 
of  about  sixty  continental  troops  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  Georgia  militia,  to  which  a  light 
field-piece  was  attached. 


BATTLE  OP  BRIER  CREEK.       161 


At  three  o'clock  p.  M.  the  enemy's  advance- 
guard  attacked  and  drove  back  the  American 
pickets,  and  took  some  prisoners,  who  gave  in- 
formation that  the  Americans  were  unadvised  of 
an  enemy  in  force  being  near.  Provost  made  his 
disposition  for  action :  the  light  infantry  with 
two  field-pieces  was  formed  on  the  right,  with 
orders  to  penetrate  by  a  road  leading  toward  the 
American  camp  :  the  centre  was  composed  of  the 
second  battalion  of  the  seventy-first  regiment, 
with  some  rangers  and  Carolina  loyalists  on  its 
left,  and  with  a  howitzer  and  two  field-pieces  in 
front ;  the  left  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dragoons,  with  orders  to  turn  the  American  right ; 
the  reserve  was  formed  four  hundred  yards  in 
the  rear,  composed  of  three  companies  of  grena- 
diers and  a  troop  of  dragoons ;  and  fifty  rifle- 
men were  placed  in  ambuscade  at  a  pass,  by 
which  it  was  supposed  the  Americans  might  turn 
their  left  and  attack  their  rear.  At  four  P.  M. 
the  British  moved  forward  and  commenced  the 
attack. 

When  General  Ash  had  formed  his  line,  he 
advanced  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  front  of 
his  encampment,  with  his  left  at  the  creek,  and 
his  right  extending  within  half  a  mile  of  the  river 
swamp.  The  British,  advancing  in  three  columns 
of  six  in  front,  opened  their  fire  at  the  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  their  cannon. 
The  American  centre,  which  was  in  advance,  be- 

14* 


162  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


gan  to  retreat  in  about  five  minutes,  and  the  right 
broke  and  ran  the  instant  they  were  attacked. 
Colonel  Young,  who  commanded  the  right,  said 
that  it  was  not  his  intention  to  retreat ;  but,  per- 
ceiving that  the  enemy  intended  to  turn  his  right, 
he  wished  to  file  off  to  the  right  to  prevent  it ; 
but  his  troops  construed  his  intentions  into  an 
order  to  retreat.  The  centre  and  right  fled  in 
the  utmost  confusion.  General  Elbert,  with  the 
left,  maintained  his  ground  with  so  much  gal- 
lantry, that  the  British  reserve  was  ordered  to 
support  their  right ;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
great  superiority  of  the  enemy,  Elbert  supported 
the  conflict  until  every  avenue  of  a  retreat  was 
cut  off.  Finding  that  further  resistance  would  be 
temerity,  he  ordered  his  gallant  little  band  to 
ground  their  arms  and  surrender.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  his  command  was  killed,  wounded,  or 
made  prisoners. 

The  Americans  who  fled  entered,  the  river 
swamp,  which  was  two  or  three  miles  in  extent, 
to  escape  from  the  enemy ;  such  of  them  as  could 
swim  crossed  the  river,  but  many  who  made  the 
attempt  were  drowned. 

The  American  loss  was  estimated  at  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  killed  and  drowned ;  twenty-seven 
officers,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  non-com- 
missioned officers  and  privates,  were  taken  prison- 
ers ;  seven  pieces  of  field  artillery,  a  quantity  of 
ammunition,  provisions,  and  baggage,  and  five 


LINCOLN'S  PLANS  DISCONCERTED.        163 

hundred  stand  of  arms,  were  lost  or  fell  into  the 
possession  of  the  victors.  The  British  loss  was 
one  commissioned  officer  and  fifteen  privates 
killed  and  wounded.  Generals  Ash  and  Bryant, 
with  two  or  three  hundred  of  the  fugitives,  were 
stopped  at  Bee's  Creek  bridge,  twenty  miles  from 
the  scene  of  action,  in  the  evening  of  the  same 
day,  by  Captain  Peter  Horry,  who  was  marching 
with  a  detachment  to  join  the  camp ;  some  with 
and  some  without  arms. 

The  loss  of  General  Elbert  and  his  command, 
of  Neal's  dragoons,  and  many  of  PirkinS's  regi- 
ment of  North  Carolina,  was  seriously  calami- 
tous to  Georgia,  which  had  more  than  one  thou- 
sand men,  including  nearly  all  the  regular  troops 
of  the  state,  in  captivity  with  the  British. 

The  defeat  of  Ash  disconcerted  the  plans  of 
General  Lincoln.  If  the  army  had  been  concen- 
trated, as  was  intended,  the  American  forces,  in- 
cluding the  reinforcements  about  to  join  them, 
would  have  amounted  to  seven  thousand  men ; 
an  army  sufficient,  as  it  was  believed,  to  have 
driven  the  British  troops  out  of  Georgia.  The 
wavering  and  disaffected  would  have  joined  the 
American  standard,  and  South  Carolina  would 
not  have  been  invaded.  The  parties  of  militia, 
who  were  on  their  march  to  join  the  army,  heard 
of  the  disaster  and  returned  home ;  while  many 
who  were  previously  undecided  in  their  politics 
now  joined  the  enemy. 


164  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


The  different  corps  composing  the  British  army 
in  Georgia  amounted  to  upward  of  four  thou- 
sand men.  Five  thousand  additional  troops  were 
daily  expected  from  New  York,  under  General 
Vaughan.  After  these  arrived,  the  capital  of 
South  Carolina  was  intended  as  the  object  of 
future  operations.  The  command  of  the  southern 
British  army  was  offered  to  Lieutenant-colonel 
Campbell,  but  he  declined  it.  He  appears  to 
have  been  dissatisfied  with  General  Provost's  hav- 
ing taken  the  chief  command  and  government 
of  Georgia,  after  he  had  made  the  conquest. 

Colonel  Campbell  was  an  officer  at  all  points ; 
circumspect,  quick,  brave,  and  profound  in  mili- 
tary knowledge.  He  was  beloved  for  his  courtesy 
and  humanity,  and  admired  for  the  elegance  of 
his  manners.  The  departure  of  such  an  officer 
from  the  southern  states  excited  joyful  sensa- 
tion among  the  friends  of  freedom  and  independ- 
ence. He  sailed  soon  after  for  England. 

In  addition  to  the  British  force  already  stated, 
five  hundred  Indians  were  assembled  on  the  Ala- 
tamaha  River,  and  there  was  a  proffer  of  all  the 
aid  of  the  Creek  and  Cherokee  Indians,  under 
the  influence  of  Stuart  and  Cameron,  to  engage 
in  any  enterprise  which  might  be  required  of 
them. 

Hudson's  Ferry  and  Paris  Mill  were  well  for- 
tified, cannon  mounted  at  each,  and  strongly 
garrisoned.  Ebenezer  and  Sister's  ferries  were 


GENERAL  ASH  CENSURED.        165 


put  in  a  state  of  defence,  and  all  the  passes  of 
Savannah  River  secured  by  the  British.  The 
light  troops  were  held  prepared  to  move  to  any 
point,  on  short  notice. 

After  the  defeat  of  Ash  at  Brier  Creek,  that 
general,  finding  he  was  viewed  by  all  grades 
of  the  army  with  contempt  and  disrespect,  de- 
manded a  court  of  inquiry,  which  was  granted. 

The  court  was  convened  on  the  9th  day  of 
March.  The  conclusions  they  came  to,  after 
having  maturely  considered  the  matter  before 
them,  were, — "  That  General  Ash  did  not  take 
all  the  necessary  precautions,  which  he  ought  to 
have  done,  to  secure  his  camp  and  obtain  timely 
intelligence  of  the  movements  and  approach  of 
the  enemy." 

"While  Lincoln  was  thus,  most  unfortunately, 
thwarted  in  his  project  to  attempt  the  recovery 
of  Georgia,  the  British  army  received  the  ex- 
pected reinforcements  from  New  York.  Shortly 
after  this,  the  forces  of  the  American  general 
were  rendered  still  less  effective ;  the  term  of 
service  for  which  the  North  Carolina  militia  had 
been  drafted  having  expired,  without  any  imme- 
diate prospect  of  others  arriving  to  replace  them. 
In  this  condition  of  things  several  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Georgia,  who  had  left  their  families,  re- 
presented to  General  Lincoln  that  all  their  pro- 
perty had  been  plundered  and  destroyed  by  the 
enemy,  and  desired  him  to  point  out  to  them  any 


166  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


possible  means  by  which  their  families  could  be 
secured  against  want.  They  expressed  their  will- 
ingness to  yield  to  the  loss  of  property  and 
every  other  privation,  if  their  wives  and  families 
could  be  guarantied  the  necessaries  of  life ;  but 
that  they  should  be  left  to  suffer  from  the  want 
of  food,  and  under  the  continued  insolence  of 
their  enemy,  was  rather  more  than  their  feelings 
could  be  expected  to  endure.  The  general  con- 
sented that  such  men  as  had  families  should 
return  to  their  homes,  and  remain  quiet  until  a 
change  should  take  place. 

Some  of  the  Georgia  prisoners,  who  were  ex- 
changed for  a  like  number  sent  from  Charleston, 
were  so  much  emaciated  when  they  arrived  in 
camp,  that  they  were  obliged  to  be  carried  from 
the  boats  in  which  they  were  brought  from  the 
prison-ships.  They  complained  bitterly  of  tho 
ill-treatment  which  they  had  experienced  on 
board  these  filthy  floating  dungeons,  of  which 
their  countenances  and  emaciated  bodies  ex- 
hibited condemning  testimony.  They  asserted 
that  they  had  been  fed  on  condemned  pork,  which 
nauseated  the  stomach,  and  oatmeal  so  rotten 
that  swine  would  not  have  fed  on  it ;  that  the 
staff  officers  and  the  members  of  council  from 
Savannah  shared  in  common  with  the  soldiery  ; 
even  the  venerable  Bryan  was  obliged  to  partake 
such  repasts,  or  die  of  hunger. 

The  Jews  of  Savannah  were  generally  favour"- 


SUFFERINGS   OF   PRISONERS.  167 


able  to  the  American  cause,  and  among  this 
persuasion  was  Mordecai  Sheftall,  commissary- 
general,  and  his  son,  who  was  his  deputy ;  they 
were  confined  in  common  with  the  other  prison- 
ers, and  by  way  of  contempt  to  their  offices  and 
religion,  condemned  pork  was  given  them  for  the 
animal  part  of  their  subsistence.  In  consequence 
of  such  food,  and  other  new  devices  of  mal-treat- 
ment,  five  or  six  died  daily.  Their  bodies  were 
conveyed  from  the  prison-ships  to  the  nearest 
marsh  and  buried  in  the  mud,  whence  they  were 
soon  exhumed  by  the  washing  of  the  tides; 
and  at  low  water,  the  prisoners  beheld  the  car- 
rion crows  picking  the  bones  of  their  departed 
companions. 

General  Lincoln,  having  removed  his  quarters 
from  Purysburg  to  Black  Swamp,  was  soon  after- 
ward reinforced  by  seven  hundred  militia  from 
North  Carolina.  His  army  being  thus  increased 
to  five  thousand  men,  he  determined  once  more 
to  attempt  the  recovery  of  Georgia.  He  left 
General  Moultrie,  with  one  thousand  men,  to 
defend  Purysburg  and  the  passes  of  the  Savan- 
nah River,  with  orders  to  maintain  his  post  as 
long  as  possible,  and  if  the  enemy  should  force 
their  way  toward  Charleston  to  retreat  before 
them,  skirmishing  with  their  front  and  destroying 
the  boats  and  bridges  on  the  way. 

On  the  20th  of  April,  Lincoln,  with  two  thou- 
sand men,  marched  for  Augusta.  Five  days 


168  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


after  his  departure,  General  Moultrie  received 
intelligence  that  the  enemy  were  in  motion,  and 
that  some  parties  of  them  had  passed  over  into 
South  Carolina  below  the  town  of  Savannah. 

Moultrie  filed  off  toward  Charleston  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  in  the  enemy's  front,  and 
sent  an  express  to  General  Lincoln  to  apprize 
him  of  their  movements,  and  his  intention  to 
harass  and  retard  their  progress,  until  he  received 
reinforcements.  General  Provost's  army  consisted 
of  two  thousand  chosen  troops,  and  seven  hundred 
loyalists  and  Indians.  Moultrie,  to  oppose  him, 
had  but  one  thousand  militia ;  and,  instead  of  his 
numbers  increasing,  his  troops  wasted  away  by 
desertion.  When  he  had  retreated  to  Ashley 
River  Ferry,  he  had  only  six  hundred  men. 

Lincoln,  imagining  that  Provost  only  intended 
a  feint  on  Charleston,  to  divert  him  from  his  pur- 
pose toward  Savannah,  continued  his  march  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Savannah  River,  and  sent 
three  hundred  light  troops  and  the  legion  of  Pu- 
laski,  which  had  been  stationed  at  the  ridge  forty- 
five  miles  north-east  from  Augusta,  to  reinforce 
Moultrie. 

Every  advantageous  pass  was  disputed  with  the 
enemy  by  the  latter  officer,  and  he  so  effectually 
retarded  their  progress,  by  frequent  skirmishes, 
that  they  did  not  reach  Charleston  until  the  llth 
of  May. 

When  Provost  appeared  before  Charleston,  he 


MILITARY  MOVEMENTS.  169 


made  the  apparent  dispositions  for  a  siege,  and 
demanded  a  surrender.  Calculating  that  Lincoln 
was  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  it  was  deemed  im- 
portant to  gain  time.  The  reinforcement  sent 
by  General  Lincoln  and  the  legion  of  Pulaski 
had  arrived ;  and  the  greatest  exertions  were 
used  to  place  the  town  in  a  state  of  defence. 
Twenty-four  hours  were  spent  in  negotiations, 
which  terminated  in  bidding  the  enemy  defiance. 
Having  failed  in  his  expectations,  and  fearing 
that  Lincoln  would  fall  upon  his  rear,  Provost 
retreated  precipitately  over  Ashley  Ferry,  and 
formed  a  fortified  encampment  on  Stone  River, 
within  reach  of  some  small  armed  vessels  and 
transports,  by  which  he  could  secure  a  retreat 
toward  Savannah,  if  he  should  be  pressed  by  a 
force  with  which  he  was  unable  to  contend.  He 
collected  all  the  boats  which  fell  in  his  way,  to 
facilitate  the  transportation  of  his  troops  from 
one  island  to  another,  or  through  the  inland  navi- 
gation, as  might  be  advisable. 

When  Lincoln  arrived  at  Ashley  River,  he  was 
doubtful  of  the  issue  of  a  general  engagement 
with  the  enemy ;  for,  although  he  was  superior  to 
his  antagonist  in  numbers,  he  was  far  inferior  in 
the  quality  of  his  troops  and  equipments,  and  was 
aware  of  the  certain  consequences  of  a  defeat. 
It  was,  therefore,  necessary  for  him  to  proceed 
with  caution,  and  not  risk  a  battle,  if  the  result 
appeared  in  the  least  doubtful.  He  was  appre- 

15 


170  HISTORY  OP   GEORGIA. 


hensive  of  the  consequences  of  drawing  his  forces 
to  one  point,  for  a  general  attack,  and  leaving 
Charleston  unprotected ;  and  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  retreating  by  land  to  Savannah,  he 
was  obliged  to  guard  the  passes  by  strong  de- 
tachments. Thus  situated,  the  two  armies  lay 
within  thirty  miles  distance,  for  forty  days, 
watching  the  motions  of  each  other. 

The  British  army  was  encamped  on  John's 
Island,  near  Stono  Ferry.  To  preserve  a  com- 
munication with  the  main  land,  they  had  con- 
structed some  redoubts  and  lines  of  communica- 
tion, on  which  some  field  artillery  was  advanta- 
geously placed,  with  an  abatis  in  front,  on  the 
main  land  at  the  ferry,  and  a  garrison  of  eight 
hundred  men  to  defend  it,  under  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Maitland.  In  the  event  of  its  being 
attacked,  the  main  encampment  was  sufficiently 
near  to  afford  reinforcements. 

At  length,  on  the  20th  of  June,  an  attack  was 
made  on  the  redoubts  at  the  ferry.  General 
Moultrie,  with  a  body  of  the  Charleston  militia, 
was  to  have  made  a  feint  on  the  British  encamp- 
ment, from  James's  Island ;  but  from  the  diffi- 
culty of  procuring  boats,  he  was  unable  to  reach 
the  place  of  destination  in  time  to  make  the  di- 
version required.  When  the  Americans  advanced 
to  the  attack,  two  companies  of  the  seventy-first  re- 
giment of  Scots  sallied  out  to  support  the  pickets ; 
Lieutenant-colonel  Henderson,  with  the  light  in- 


THE    BRITISH   RETREAT.  171 

fantry,  charged  them,  and  only  nine  of  their 
number  returned  within  their  intrenchments.  All 
the  men  at  the  field-pieces  between  their  redoubts 
were  killed  or  wounded.  Major  Handley,  who 
commanded  the  remnant  of  the  Georgia  conti- 
nental troops,  was  attached  to  Colonel  Malmady's 
command,  and  carried  that  part  of  the  British 
works  against  which  they  acted.  The  failure  of 
General  Moultrie  in  the  diversion  assigned  to  him 
enabled  General  Provost  to  reinforce  the  redoubts, 
and  made  it  necessary  for  General  Lincoln  to 
withdraw  his  troops ;  a  general  sortie  was  made 
on  the  retiring  Americans ;  but  the  light  infantry, 
commanded  by  Malmady  and  Henderson,  held 
the  enemy  in  check,  and  enabled  the  Americans 
to  remove  their  wounded,  and  retire  in  good  order. 

Soon  after  the  action  at  Stono,  the  British 
commenced  their  retreat,  and  passed  from  island 
to  island,  until  they  arrived  at  Port  Royal,  where 
Provost  established  a  post  with  eight  hundred 
men,  under  the  orders  of  Lieutenant-colonel  Mait- 
land,  and  thence  returned  to  Savannah. 

While  Lincoln  was  employed  in  South  Carolina 
against  Provost,  Colonels  Dooley  and  Clarke  were 
actively  engaged  in  defending  the  frontiers  of 
Georgia ;  and  Colonels  Twiggs,  Few,  and  Jones 
were  watching  the  British  outposts,  to  cut  off 
supplies  of  provisions  from  the  country.  Private 
armed  vessels  were  also  employed  along  the  sea- 
coast. 


172  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  Captain  Spencer,  who 
commanded  an  American  privateer,  surprised 
Colonel  Cruger  and  a  party  of  British  officers  at 
a  house  on  the  river  Medway,  and  took  them 
prisoners  of  war. 

On  the  28th,  Colonel  Twiggs,  being  informed 
that  a  detachment  of  forty  mounted  grenadiers 
under  Captain  Muller  was  advancing  to  attack 
him,  sent  forward  Major  Cooper  with  thirty  men 
to  meet  the  enemy.  Cooper  formed  his  command 
across  a  rice-dam  upon  which  Muller  was  advanc- 
ing, and  after  a  short,  but  fierce  conflict,  during 
which  Muller  was  mortally  wounded,  the  whole 
of  the  enemy  were  either  killed,  wounded,  or 
taken  prisoners.  The  American  loss  was  only 
two  officers  wounded. 

The  situation  of  the  wounded  required  the  as- 
sistance of  a  surgeon,  and  Savannah  being  the 
nearest  place  where  one  could  be  obtained,  Wil- 
liam Myddleton  offered  his  services  to  carry  a 
flag  for  that  purpose.  Captain  Muller  died  be- 
fore the  surgeon's  arrival.  While  Myddleton  was 
in  Provost's  quarters,  a  British  officer  requested 
him  to  narrate  the  circumstances  attending  the 
skirmish.  After  he  had  given  the  particulars,  the 
officer  observed,  that  "  If  an  angel  was  to  tell 
him  that  Captain  Muller,  who  had  served  twenty- 
one  years  in  the  king's  guards,  had  been  defeated 
by  an  equal  number  of  rebels,  he  would  disbelieve 
it."  Myddleton  requested  the  officer's  address, 


BRITISH  VESSEL    CAPTUKED.  173 

and  observed  that  they  were  not  then  on  equal 
terms,  but  hoped  to  have  it  in  his  power  at  a 
future  time  to  call  him  to  an  account  for  his 
rudeness.  Colonel  Provost  rebuked  the  officer 
for  using  such  improper  language  to  the  bearer 
of  a  flag. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  Captain  Samuel  Spen- 
cer sailed  into  Sapelo  Sound,  when  one  of  the 
enemy's  vessels,  of  six  guns,  ran  down  and  at- 
tacked him.  The  engagement  was  well  supported 
for  fifteen  minutes,  when  the  enemy  was  boarded 
and  surrendered.  Spencer  had  one  man  wounded : 
the  British,  one  killed,  five  wounded,  and  twelve 
made  prisoners.  Spencer  divided  his  crew,  and 
collected  a  number  of  negroes  and  other  pro- 
perty, which  he  carried  in  safety  to  the  owners, 
who  had  fled  to  Carolina.  The  prisoners  were 
paroled  and  landed  on  Sapelo  Island. 

Ten  days  previous  to  the  above  gallant  little 
affair,  Sir  James  Wright  returned  from  England 
and  resumed  the  government  of  Georgia  ;  but  he 
was  not  suffered  to  remain  long  in  the  quiet  per- 
formance of  his  official  duties. 


15* 


174  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

France  acknowledges  the  independence  of  the  United  States 
— D'Estaing  agrees  to  co-operate  with  Lincoln — British  pre- 
parations for  defence — French  forces  disembarked — D'Es- 
taing demands  the  surrender  of  Savannah — Truce  granted 
— Provost  reinforced — Siege  of  Savannah — Assault — Re- 
pulse of  the  combined  armies — Jasper  wounded — Count 
Pulaski  wounded — Force  of  the  allied  army — Force  of  the 
British — Siege  raised — Lincoln  retreats  to  Ebenezer. 

WHILE  Georgia  was  thus  ineffectually  strug- 
gling in  the  grasp  of  her  conquerors,  an  event 
occurred  which,  while  it  roused  the  timid  and 
recalled  the  wavering,  inspired  all  those  who  still 
clung  fearlessly  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  with  the 
liveliest  hopes  of  eventual  success. 

France  acknowledged  the  independence  of  the 
United  States,  and  on  the  6th  of  February,  1778, 
negotiated  with  the  American  commissioners  at 
Paris  a  treaty  of  alliance,  offensive  and  defensive. 

Having  thus  become  a  party  to  the  war,  pre- 
parations were  made  to  render  the  colonies  that 
assistance  which,  from  the  increased  efforts  of 
Great  Britain  to  recover  her  lost  authority,  was 
now  becoming  imperatively  necessary. 

A  fleet  was  fitted  out,  and  an  army  sent  to  the 
West  Indies,  under  the  orders  of  the  Count 
D'Estaing.  They  made  the  conquest  of  the 


PROPOSED    OPERATIONS.  175 


islands  of  St.  Vincent  and  Grenada,  and  retired 
to  Cape  Francois. 

As  the  recovery  of  Georgia  was  of  the  utmost 
importance,  the  co-operation  of  the  French  forces 
in  the  West  Indies  was  solicited  for  that  purpose. 
Count  D'Estaing  immediately  returned  a  favour- 
able response,  and  sailed  from  Cape  Francois  on 
the  20th  of  August,  1779,  after  despatching  to 
Charleston  two  ships  of  the  line  and  three  frigates 
in  advance,  to  concert  a  plan  of  operations  with 
the  American  general. 

General  Lincoln  made  every  exertion  to  collect 
an  army,  and  was  sanguine  in  his  hopes  of  suc- 
cess in  the  execution  of  the  concerted  plan.  The 
llth  of  September  was  the  time  appointed  for  the 
rendezvous  of  the  two  armies  at  Savannah,  and 
preparations  were  made  to  invest  the  place. 

The  militia  took  the  field  with  alacrity,  sup- 
posing that  nothing  further  would  be  necessary 
than  to  march  to  Savannah  and  demand  a  surren- 
der. Colonel  Maitland,  with  eight  hundred  men, 
retained  his  position  at  Beaufort,  and  General 
Lincoln  had  fixed  his  quarters  at  Sheldon,  to  pre- 
vent them  from  spreading  into  the  country  to 
obtain  provisions :  thus  occupied,  General  Lin- 
coln could  not  march  to  Savannah  until  the 
French  troops  were  ready  to  land. 

As  soon  as  the  probability  of  an  attack  in  force 
became  known  at  Savannah,  Provost  called  in 
his  outposts,  and  endeavoured  to  make  his  fortifi- 


176  HISTORY   OF    GEORGIA. 

cations  as  strong  as  possible.  Thirteen  redoubts 
and  fifteen  batteries  were  completed,  and  mounted 
•with  seventy-six  pieces  of  cannon.  The  guns 
and  batteries  were  manned  by  the  seamen  from 
the  ships  of  war,  transports,  and  merchant  ves- 
sels in  the  harbour.  A  number  of  field-pieces, 
protected  by  intrenchments,  were  placed  in  re- 
serve. 

In  the  mean  time,  General  Mclntosh  pressed 
forward  from  Augusta  toward  Savannah  accom- 
panied by  the  infantry  under  his  command,  and 
a  body  of  cavalry  under  Count  Pulaski.  Before 
the  enemy  were  apprized  of  his  approach,  the 
latter  cut  off  one  of  their  pickets,  killed,  wounded, 
and  captured  eleven  men,  and  opened  a  commu- 
nication to  the  sea-shore. 

Mclntosh  advanced  toward  Ogechee  Ferry, 
but  so  soon  as  a  body  of  French  troops  had 
landed,  he  returned  and  halted  three  miles  from 
Savannah,  until  Lincoln  should  arrive. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  the  French  fleet  ap- 
peared off  Savannah  bar ;  but  it  was  not  until  the 
morning  of  the  16th,  that  Count  D'Estaing  was 
able  to  approach  within  three  miles  of  the  town, 
and  demand  a  surrender. 

In  answer  to  the  summons,  Provost  proposed  a 
suspension  of  hostilities  for  twenty- four  hours,  to 
which  D'Estaing  agreed.  The  latter  had  not 
then  formed  a  junction  with  the  American  forces 
under  Lincoln,  and  was  entirely  ignorant  of  the 


BRITISH   GARRISON   REINFORCED.          177 

advantages  which  would  have  accrued  from  an 
immediate  attack. 

Lincoln  reached  Millen's  plantation  on  the 
Ogechee  the  same  day,  and  proceeded  directly  to 
pay  his  respects  to  the  Count  D'Estaing,  and  fix 
on  the  plan  of  future  operations.  The  latter 
suggested  that  no  time  should  be  lost,  as  it  was 
necessary  for  the  fleet  to  leave  the  coast  as  early 
as  possible,  from  the  dangerous  character  of  the 
hurricanes  which  usually  visited  it  at  that  season 
of  the  year.  Measures  were  thus  precipitated, 
which,  under  other  and  more  fortunate  circum- 
stances, would  have  been  arranged  with  greater 
coolness  and  system. 

General  Provost  exercised  great  military  judg- 
ment in  soliciting  twenty-four  hours  for  conside- 
ration, because  he  calculated  with  great  certainty 
that  within  that  time  Colonel  Maitland  would 
arrive  with  eight  hundred  troops  from  Beaufort. 
There  is  but  little  doubt  that  on  this  event  rested 
all  his  hopes  of  saving  the  garrison.  When  the 
fleet  first  appeared  off  the  coast,  the  enemy  had 
but  twenty-three  pieces  of  cannon  mounted  upon 
the  redoubts  and  batteries,  to  defend  an  extent 
by  land  and  water  of  near  three  miles. 

On  the  evening  of  the  16th,  Maitland  arrived 
at  Dawfuskie  ;  guided  by  some  negro  fisherman, 
he  was  enabled  to  avoid  the  Savannah  River,  and 
by  passing  through  various  creeks  in  small  boats, 
gained  the  town  in  s'afety. 


178  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


The  acquisition  of  this  formidable  reinforce- 
ment effected  a  complete  change  in  the  condition 
of  the  desponding  garrison.  A  signal  \vas  made, 
and  three  cheers  given,  which  rang  from  one  end 
of  the  town  to  the  other.  In  the  afternoon  of 
the  17th,  Provost  notified  D'Estaing  of  his  deter- 
mination to  defend  the  place. 

Mortified  at  receiving  a  defiance  when  he  was 
confidently  anticipating  a  surrender,  and  the  fa- 
vourable moment  for  reducing  the  fortress  by 
assault  having  been  suffered  to  pass  away,  no 
prospect  of  success  now  offered  but  the  tedious 
operations  of  a  siege.  This  was  what  the  enemy 
wished.  The  principal  engineer  had  declared 
that  if  the  allied  army  would  once  resort  to  the 
spade,  he  would  pledge  himself  for  the  success  of 
the  defence. 

To  prevent  the  French  frigates  from  coming  so 
near  the  town  as  to  aid  the  operations  by  land, 
two  ships  and  four  transports  were-  sunk  in  a 
narrow  part  of  the  channel  below,  while  similar 
obstructions  were  placed  above  the  town,  to  pre- 
vent the  galleys  which  passed  up  the  North  river 
from  assailing  them  in  that  direction.  One  of  the 
frigates  and  two  galleys  anchored  near  the  wrecks ; 
but  the  enemy's  guns,  mounted  upon  batteries 
forty  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  soon 
compelled  them  to  retire. 

From  this  time  until  the  evening  of  the  7th  of 
October,  the  siege  was  vigorously  pressed  by  the 


SIEGE   OP   SAVANNAH.  179 

allied  forces,  and  as  vigorously  resisted  on  the 
part  of  the  enemy. 

Count  D'Estaing  having  been  a  month  on  the 
American  coast,  and  the  fleet  close  in  shore,  his 
naval  officers  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  dan- 
gerous situation  it  was  in,  and  the  hazard  of  being 
attacked  by  the  British  fleet  while  theirs  was  in 
bad  condition,  and  while  many  of  their  officers 
and  men  were  on  shore.  To  these  remonstrances 
were  added  the  commencement  of  an  extraordina- 
ry disease  in  the  French  camp,  and  the  approach 
of  the  hurricane  season,  usually  so  destructive  on 
the  southern  sea-coast  of  the  United  States. 
These  considerations  determined  Count  D'Estaing 
to  call  a  council  of  war,  in  which  it  was  the  opi- 
nion of  the  engineers  that  it  would  require  ten 
days  more  to  work  into  the  enemy's  lines ;  upon 
which  it  was  determined  to  try  to  carry  them  by 
an  assault. 

Accordingly,  on  the  8th  of  October,  General 
Lincoln  issued  his  orders  for  the  attack,  which 
was  to  be  made  at  four  o'clock  the  following 
morning. 

He  divided  the  infantry  into  two  bodies ;  the 
first,  consisting  of  the  light  troops  under  Colonel 
Laurens,  to  which  the  grenadiers  were  attached. 
The  second,  composed  of  the  continental  bat- 
talions and  the  Charleston  militia. 

Pulaski,  who  commanded  the  cavalry,  had 
orders  to  penetrate  the  enemy's  lines  between 


180  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


the  battery  on  the  left  of  the  Spring  Hill  redoubt, 
and  the  next  toward  the  river.  He  was  to  be 
supported  by  the  light  troops  and  grenadiers,  and 
reinforced,  if  necessary,  by  the  first  South  Caro- 
lina regiment. 

The  militia  of  the  first  and  second  brigades, 
together  with  General  Williamson's  and  the  two 
battalions  of  Charleston  militia,  were  ordered  to 
the  trenches,  and  to  subject  themselves  to  the 
commanding  officer  there.  Previous  to  this,  how- 
ever, five  hundred  of  the  militia  were  to  be 
drafted  and  placed  under  the  command  of  Gene- 
ral Huger,  who  was  directed  to  march  to  the  left 
of  the  enemy's  lines,  and  make  his  attack  as 
near  to  the  river  as  possible.  This  was  intended 
only  as  a  feint,  but  Huger  was  authorized,  if  an 
opportunity  offered,  to  convert  it  into  a  positive 
attack  and  push  into  the  town. 

On  the  night  of  the  8th,  a  sergeant  of  the 
Charleston  grenadiers  deserted,  and  communi- 
cated to  the  British  general  the  plan  of  attack  and 
the  time  when  it  was  to  be  made.  Being  ap- 
prized that  the  Spring  Hill  redoubt  and  batteries 
was  the  point  where  the  principal  effort  was  to 
be  sustained,  and  that  the  menace  on  the  left  of 
.the  works  by  Huger  was  but  a  feint,  he  made 
his  dispositions  accordingly.  He  removed  the 
principal  part  of  his  force  from  the  left  of  his 
works  to  the  right,  near  to  the  Spring  Hill,  and 


ASSAULT   ON   SAVANNAH.  181 


placed  that  part  of  the  defences  under  the  orders 
of  Lieutenant-colonel  Maitland. 

By  one  of  those  strange  fatalities  "which 
seemed  to  accompany  every  attempt  made  by 
the  Americans  to  release  Georgia  from  the  grasp 
of  the  British,  the  attack,  which  was  ordered  to 
take  place  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
9th,  was  delayed  until  clear  daylight.  An  op- 
portunity was  thus  afforded  the  garrison  of  di- 
recting their  fire  upon  the  assailants  with  terrible 
effect,  while  the  latter  were  in  the  act  of  advanc- 
ing toward  the  works.  The  French  columns 
passed  the  abatis,  crowded  into  the  moat,  and 
ascended  to  the  town  under  a  galling  fire  in  front 
and  flank.  The  carnage  was  awful,  but  no  useful 
impression  made. 

Lieutenant-colonel  Laurens,  with  the  light 
troops,  advanced  by  the  left  of  the  French  column, 
attacked  Maitland's  redoubt,  and  succeeded  in 
gaining  the  parapet,  where  Lieutenants  Bush  and 
Hume  set  the  colours  of  the  second  regiment  of 
South  Carolina :  both  those  gallant  officers  were 
immediately  shot  down.  Lieutenant  Gray  sup- 
ported the  colours,  and  was  mortally  wounded. 
Sergeant  Jasper,  seeing  Gray  fall,  seized  the 
colours  and  supported  them,  until  he  also  received 
a  wound,  which  proved  mortal.  At  this  point, 
the  assault  and  resistance  were  of  the  most  daring 
character. 

Mclntosh,  at  the  head  of  the  left  column  of 

16 


182  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

the  American  troops,  forced  his  way  into  the 
ditch  of  the  works  north  of  the  Maitland  redoubt. 
Count  D'Estaing,  early  in  the  assault,  received 
a  wound  in  the  arm,  but  remained  at  his  post 
until  a  wound  in  his  thigh  made  it  necessary  to 
bear  him  off  the  field. 

Count  Pulaski,  while  attempting  to  pass  the 
works  into  the  town,  received  a  cannon-shot  in 
the  groin,  of  which  he  fell  near  the  abatis. 
Huger  made  his  attack  as  directed,  and  having 
accomplished  the  object  of  his  orders,  retired 
with  the  loss  of  twenty-eight  men. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  make  any  impression 
upon  the  works  of  the  enemy,  the  commanding 
generals  ordered  a  retreat.  On  the  retreat,  it 
was  recollected  by  his  corps  that  Count  Pulaski 
had  been  left  near  the  abatis ;  some  of  his  men 
immediately  forced  their  way  through  the  firing 
and  bore  him  off,  though  the  heroic  Pole  was 
wounded  mortally. 

The  loss  of  the  allied  army  in  this  most  rash 
but  spirited  assault  was  nearly  eleven  hundred 
men  killed  and  wounded.  Among  the  latter 
were  the  Count  D'Estaing,  Major-general  De 
Fontange,  the  Chevalier  D'Ernonville,  and  Count 
Pulaski.  D'Ernonville  was  taken  prisoner,  his 
arm  being  broken  by  a  ball.  If  he  had  consented 
to  an  amputation,  he  would  probably  have  sur- 
vived. When  urged  to  the  measure  by  General 
Provost,  he  refused ;  saying,  that  with  but  one 


THE   SIEGE  RAISED.  183 

hand,  he  could  not  serve  his  prince  in  the  field, 
and  if  so  disabled,  life  was  not  worth  preserving. 
He  died  on  the  25th  of  December,  and  was 
buried  with  all  the  honours  of  war. 

The  loss  of  the  British  during  the  assault  was 
only  fifty-five  killed  and  wounded.  How  many 
they  lost  during  the  siege  is  not  known. 

The  combined  force  employed  against  Savan- 
nah was  four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
men.  That  of  the  enemy,  twenty-eight  hun- 
dred and  fifty,  including  Indians  and  armed 
slaves. 

General  Lincoln  urged  that  Count  D'Estaing 
would  agree  to  continue  the  siege  of  Savannah ; 
but  the  reasons  which  the  count  gave  for  propos- 
ing the  assault  still  obtained :  it  was  further  urged, 
that  the  troops  of  France  were  reduced  by  the 
consequences  of  the  siege,  in  killed  and  wounded, 
and  by  disease,  which  was  increasing,  to  less 
than  fifteen  hundred  men  fit  for  duty,  on  the 
18th  of  October ;  and  that  the  American  troops 
under  General  Lincoln  did  not  exceed  twelve 
hundred  effectives.  In  addition,  there  were  good 
reasons  for  a  belief  that  the  British  fleet  at  New 
York,  with  an  army  on  board,  was  preparing  for 
a  southern  expedition ;  and  in  the  present  sickly 
condition  of  the  crews  of  the  fleet,  and  the  re- 
duced force  of  the  combined  troops,  who  were 
not  more  than  equal  to  the  besieged,  it  would  be 
highly  imprudent  to  remain  and  risk  the  conse- 


184  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

quences.  The  count  notified  General  Lincoln  of 
his  determination  to  raise  the  siege. 

General  Lincoln  retreated  to  Ebenezer,  and  on 
the  19th  of  October  he  left  the  army  for  Charles- 
ton, with  orders  to  march  to  that  place. 

There  was  great  dissatisfaction  expressed  by 
the  citizens  of  Georgia  at  the  determination  of 
D'Estaing  to  raise  the  siege.  Many  of  them  had 
been  under  British  protection,  and  having  re- 
sumed their  arms  in  opposition  to  the  royal  go- 
vernment, they  were  apprehensive  of  the  con- 
sequences if  they  again  fell  into  the  enemy's 
hands.  Notwithstanding  these  murmurs,  General 
Lincoln  by  prudent  management  silenced  the 
expressions  of  discontent,  and  the  allied  forces 
separated  with  mutual  assurances  of  esteem  and 
affection. 


HEROIC   DEVOTION.  185 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Heroic  instances  of  devotion  to  freedom — The  grenadiers  of 
Count  Dillon — Anecdote  of  Lieutenant  Lloyd — Sergeant 
Jasper — His  daring  bravery  at  Fort  Moultrie — His  roving 
commission — Captures  ten  men  near  Savannah — Presented 
with  a  sword  by  Governor  Rutledge — Plants  the  colours  on 
Spring  Hill  redoubt — Is  mortally  wounded — Count  Pulaski 
— 'His  early  life — Confederates  with  others  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  Poland — Captures  Stanislaus — Seeks  refuge  in  France 
Appointed  a  brigadier-general  in  the  American  service — His 
death. 

IF  the  siege  of  Savannah  was  unfortunate  in 
many  respects,  it  yet  afforded  many  cheering 
instances  of  heroic  devotion  to  the  cause  of  free- 
dom. 

Count  Dillon,  commander  of  the  Irish  brigade 
in  the  service  of  France,  and  who  led  on  the 
third  column  of  the  allied  armies  in  their  assault 
of  the  British  garrison,  anxious  that  his  regiment 
should  signalize  itself,  offered  one  hundred  guineas 
as  a  reward  to  the  first  of  his  grenadiers  that 
should  plant  a  fascine  in  the  fosse,  which  was 
exposed  to  the  whole  fire  of  the  garrison.  Not 
one  offered  to  advance.  The  count,  mortified 
and  disappointed  heyond  measure,  began  upbraid- 
ing them  with  cowardice,  when  the  sergeant-major 
made  the  following  noble  reply  : — "  Had  you  not, 
sir,  held  out  a  sum  of  money  as  a  temptation, 
your  grenadiers  would,  one  and  all,  have  presented 
16* 


186  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


themselves."  They  did  so  instantly,  and  out  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety-four,  of  which  the  com- 
pany consisted,  only  ninety  returned  alive. 

Previous  to  the  assault,  some  Georgia  officers 
who  had  no  commands,  and  other  private  gentle- 
men to  the  number  of  thirty,  formed  themselves 
into  a  volunteer  corps,  under  Colonel  Marhury. 
Of  this  little  party  eleven  were  either  killed  or 
wounded.  Among  the  latter  was  Lieutenant 
Edward  Lloyd,  whose  arm  had  been  carried  away 
by  a  cannon-ball.  While  a  surgeon  was  employed 
in  dressing  the  remaining  stump  of  this  young 
officer's  arm,  Major  James  Jackson  observed  to 
him,  that  his  prospect  was  unpromising,  from  the 
heavy  burden  which  hard  fate  had  imposed  upon 
him,  as  a  young  man  who  was  just  entering  into 
life.  Lloyd  answered  that,  unpromising  as  it  was, 
he  would  not  willingly  exchange  it  for  the  feel- 
ings of  Lieutenant  Stedman,  who  had  fled  at  the 
commencement  of  the  assault. 

The  conduct  of  Sergeant  Jasper  merits  still 
more  particular  notice.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  Revolutionary  war,  Sergeant  Jasper  enlisted 
in  the  second  South  Carolina  regiment  of  infan- 
try, commanded  by  Colonel  Moultrie.  He  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  a  particular  manner  at  the 
attack  which  was  made  upon  Fort  Moultrie,  on 
Sullivan's  Island,  on  the  25th  of  June,  1776. 

In  the  warmest  part  of  the  contest  the  flagstaff 
was  severed  by  a  cannon-ball,  and  the  flag  fell  to 


SEKGEANT   JASPER.  187 


the  bottom  of  the  ditch  on  the  outside  of  the 
works  :  this  accident  "was  considered  by  the  anx- 
ious inhabitants  of  Charleston  as  putting  an  end 
to  the  contest  by  striking  the  American  flag  to 
the  enemy. 

The  moment  Jasper  made  the  discovery  that 
the  flag  had  fallen,  he  jumped  from  one  of  the 
embrasures,  and  seizing  the  colours,  which  he 
had  tied  to  a  sponge-staff,  supported  them  on  the 
parapet  until  another  flag  was  procured.  His 
subsequent  activity  and  enterprise  induced  Colo- 
nel Moultrie  to  give  him  a  sort  of  a  roving 
commission  to  go  and  come  at  pleasure ;  confi- 
dent that  he  was  always  usefully  employed. 

He  was  privileged  to  select  such  men  from  the 
regiment  as  he  should  choose  to  accompany  him 
in  his  enterprises.  His  parties  consisted  gene- 
rally of  five  or  six,  and  he  often  returned  with 
prisoners  before  Moultrie  was  apprized  of  his  ab- 
sence. Jasper  was  distinguished  for  his  humane 
treatment  when  an  enemy  fell  into  his  power. 
His  ambition  appears  to  have  been  limited  to  the 
characteristic  of  bravery,  humanity,  and  useful- 
ness to  the  cause  in  which  he  was  engaged. 

When  it  was  in  his  power  to  kill  but  not  to 
capture,  it  was  his  practice  not  to  permit  a  single 
prisoner  to  escape.  By  his  sagacity  and  enter- 
prise, he  often  succeeded  in  the  capture  of  those 
who  were  lying  in  ambush  for  him.  In  one  of 
his  excursions,  an  instance  of  bravery  and  hu- 


188  HISTOKY   OF   GEORGIA. 


manity  is  recorded  by  the  biographer  of  General 
Marion,  which  would  stagger  credulity,  if  it  were 
not  well  attested. 

While  he  was  examining  the  British  camp  at 
Ebenezer,  all  the  sympathy  of  his  breast  was 
awakened  by  the  distresses  of  Mrs.  Jones,  whose 
husband,  an  American  by  birth,  had  received  the 
king's  protection,  and  had  been  confined  in  irons 
for  deserting  the  royal  cause  after  he  had  taken 
the  oath  of  allegiance.  Her  well-founded  belief 
was,  that  nothing  short  of  the  life  of  her  husband 
would  atone  for  the  offence  with  which  he  was 
charged. 

Jasper  secretly  consulted  with  his  companion, 
Sergeant  Newton,  whose  feelings  for  the  distressed 
female  were  equally  excited  with  his  own,  upon 
the  practicability  of  releasing  Jones  from  his  im- 
pending fate. 

Though  they  were  unable  to  suggest  a  plan  of 
operation,  they  were  determined  to  watch  for  the 
most  favourable  opportunity,  and  make  the  effort. 
The  departure  of  Jones  and  several  others  (all  in 
irons)  to  Savannah,  for  trial,  under  a  guard  con- 
sisting of  a  sergeant,  corporal,  and  eight  men, 
was  ordered  upon  the  succeeding  morning. 

Within  two  miles  of  Savannah,  about  thirty 
yards  from  the  main  road,  is  a  spring  of  fine 
water,  surrounded  by  a  deep  and  thick  under- 
wood, where  travellers  often  halt  to  refresh 
themselves  with  a  cool  draught  from  the  pure 


RESCUE   OF  AMERICANS.  189 

fountain.  Jasper  and  his  companion  considered 
this  spot  the  most  favourable  for  their  enterprise. 
They  accordingly  passed  the  guard,  and  concealed 
themselves  near  the  spring. 

When  the  enemy  came  up,  the  corporal,  with 
his  guard  of  four  men,  conducted  the  prisoners  to 
the  spring,  while  the  sergeant,  with  the  other 
four,  having  grounded  their  arms  near  the  road, 
brought  up  the  rear.  The  prisoners,  wearied  with 
their  long  walk,  were  permitted  to  rest  themselves 
on  the  earth.  Two  of  the  corporal's  men  were 
ordered  to  keep  guard,  and  the  other  two  to  give 
the  prisoners  drink  out  of  their  canteens. 

The  last  two  approached  the  spring  where  our 
heroes  lay  concealed,  and  resting  their  muskets 
against  the  tree,  dipped  up  water;  and  having 
drunk  themselves,  turned  away,  with  replenished 
canteens,  to  give  the  prisoners  also.  "Now, 
Newton,  is  our  time  !"  said  Jasper.  Then  burst- 
ing from  their  concealment,  they  snatched  up  the 
two  muskets  that  were  rested  against  the  tree, 
and  instantly  shot  down  the  two  soldiers  that 
kept  guard. 

By  this  time  the  sergeant  and  corporal,  a 
couple  of  brave  Englishmen,  recovering  from  their 
panic,  had  sprung  and  seized  up  the  two  muskets 
which  had  fallen  from  the  slain :  but  before  they 
could  use  them,  the  Americans,  with  clubbed 
guns,  levelled  each  at  the  head  of  his  antagonist 
the  final  blow.  Then  securing  their  weapons, 


190  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 


they  flew  between  the  surviving  enemy  and  their 
arms,  grounded  near  the  road,  and  compelled 
them  to  surrender. 

The  irons  were  taken  off,  and  arms  put  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  had  been  prisoners,  and  the 
whole  party  arrived  at  Purysburgh  the  next  morn- 
ing and  joined  the  American  camp.  There  are 
but  few  instances  upon  record  where  personal  ex- 
ertions, even  for  self-preservation  from  certain 
prospect  of  death,  would  have  induced  a  resort  to 
an  act  so  desperate  of  execution. 

After  the  gallant  defence  at  Sullivan's  Island, 
Colonel  Moultrie's  regiment  was  presented  with 
a  stand  of  colours  by  Mrs.  Elliot,  which  she  had 
richly  embroidered  with  her  own  hands ;  and  as 
a  reward  for  Jasper's  particular  merit,  Governor 
Rutledge  presented  him  with  a  very  handsome 
sword.  During  the  assault  against  Savannah,  as 
previously  stated,  two  officers  had  been  killed, 
and  one  wounded,  endeavouring  t$  plant  these 
colours  upon  the  enemy's  parapet  of  the  Spring 
Hill  redoubt ;  when,  just  before  the  retreat  was 
ordered,  Jasper  endeavoured  to  replace  them  upon 
the  works,  and  while  he  was  in  the  act,  received 
his  mortal  wound  and  fell  into  the  ditch.  When 
a  retreat  was  ordered,  he  recollected  the  honour- 
able conditions  upon  which  the  donor  presented 
the  colours  to  his  regiment,  and  among  the  last 
acts  of  his  life,  succeeded  in  bringing  them  off. 

Major  Horry  called  to  see  him  soon  after  the 


COUNT   PULASKI.  191 

retreat,  to  whom  it  is  said  he  made  the  following 
communication  :  «  I  have  got  my  furlough.  That 
sword  was  presented  to  me  by  Governor  Rutledge, 
for  my  services  in  the  defence  of  Fort  Moultrie  ; 
give  it  to  my  father,  and  tell  him  I  have  worn 
it  in  honour.  If  the  old  man  should  weep,  tell 
him  his  son  died  in  the  hope  of  a  better  life. 
Tell  Mrs.  Elliot  that  I  lost  my  life  supporting 
the  colours  which  she  presented  to  our  regiment. 
Should  you  ever  see  Jones,  his  wife  and  son,  tell 
them  that  Jasper  is  gone,  but  that  the  remem- 
brance of  that  battle,  which  he  fought  for  them, 
brought  a  secret  joy  into  his  heart  when  it  was 
about  to  stop  its  motion  for  ever."  He  expired 
a  few  moments  after  closing  this  sentence. 

Count  Pulaski,  who  fell  mortally  wounded  dur- 
ing the  same  assault,  was  a  native  of  Poland, 
whose  king,  Stanislaus,  had  been  raised  to  the 
throne,  not  by  the  customary  voices  of  the  people, 
but  by  the  influence  of  the  Empress  of  Russia. 

Indignant  at  this  innovation  on  the  elective 
franchise,  a  number  of  patriotic  nobles,  among 
the  foremost  of  whom  was  Pulaski,  confederated 
together  to  rescue  their  country  from  foreign  in- 
fluence by  force  of  arms.  Pulaski,  for  his  high 
character  and  military  enterprise,  was  elected 
their  general. 

Finding  the  force  and  resources  of  the  confe- 
derates unequal  to  the  objects  they  had  in  view, 
Pulaski  applied  to  France  for  assistance,  and  was 


192  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


secretly  encouraged  and  supplied  with  money. 
A  number  of  French  officers  also  engaged  as  vo- 
lunteers in  his  service ;  but  the  numbers  that 
joined  his  standard  were  not  sufficient  to  enable 
him  to  achieve  more  than  partial  success. 

At  length,  the  confederates  determined  to  seize 
on  the  person  of  the  king.  A  party  selected  for 
that  purpose  attacked  and  wounded  him  in  the 
streets  of  Warsaw.  They  succeeded  in  bearing 
him  off  a  prisoner  ;  but  the  guard  deserted,  and 
suffered  Stanislaus  to  escape  to  his  palace.  Shortly 
after  this,  Russia,  supported  by  Prussia  and  Aus- 
tria, sent  troops  into  Poland,  and  under  the  plau- 
sible pretext  of  aiding  Stanislaus  in  the  recovery 
of  his  rights,  stripped  him  of  the  greater  part  of 
his  territories.  The  confederates  sued  for  peace 
and  pardon :  Pulaski,  and  others  of  the  chiefs, 
fled  to  France.  The  American  ministers,  to  whom 
he  was  made  known  at  Paris,  recommended  Pu- 
laski to  the  consideration  of  Congress,  from  whom 
he  received^on  his  arrival,  the  appointment  of 
brigadier-general  of  cavalry.. 

The  remainder  of  Pulaski's  life  was  devoted  to 
the  service  of  the  United  States ;  and  it  may  be 
truly  said,  that  on  all  occasions  when  he  had  an 
opportunity  to  act,  "  he  sought  the  post  of  dan- 
ger, as  the  post  of  honour ;"  welcomed  every  op- 
portunity of  being  engaged  with  the  enemy,  and 
was  always  foremost  in  the  day  of  battle. 

After  being  wounded  in  the  attack  on  Savan- 


DEATH    OF    PULASKI. 


193 


nah,  the  vessel  in  which  he  was  being  conveyed 
to  Charleston  having  a  long  passage,  he  died  at 
sea,  and  his  body  was  launched  and  sunk  beneath 
the  waves.  The  funeral  rites  were  performed  in 
Charleston  with  military  honours.  The  death  of 
that  gallant  officer  was  greatly  lamented  by  all 
the  Americans  and  French  who  had  witnessed  his 
valour  or  knew  how  to  appreciate  his  merits. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Sufferings  of  the  Georgians — Mrs.  Mclntosh — The  forged  let- 
ter— Skirmish  at  Ogechee  Ferry — Siege  and  surrender  of 
Charleston — Removal  of  the  Georgia  records — Governor 
Howley — Defection  of  Brigadier-general  Williamson — 'Mur- 
der of  Colonel  Dooley — Inhuman  treatment  of  Mrs.  McKay 
— Defeat  of  the  loyalists  by  Jones — Skirmish  at  Warlord's 
Iron-works — Clarke  defeats  the  British  at  Musgrove's  Mill. 

NOTHING  could  exceed  the  deplorable  condition 
of  Georgia  after  the  repulse  of  the  allied  forces 
before  Savannah.  Flushed  with  the  hope  of  ex- 
pelling the  enemy,  many  patriotic  men,  regard- 
less of  the  danger  to  which  their  families  would 
be  exposed,  had  joined  the  standard  of  Lincoln, 
and  were  now  to  suffer  the  fearful  calamities 
which  always  attend  disastrous  issues. 

Future  protection  was  not  to  be  expected ;  and 
nothing  remained  for  them  but  the  halter  and 
confiscation  from  the  British,  or  exile  for  them- 
selves, and  poverty  and  ill-treatment,  by  an  inso- 

17 


194  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


lent  enemy,  for  their  wives  and  children,  who 
were  ordered  forthwith  to  depart  the  country 
without  the  means  for  travelling,  or  any  other 
means,  but  a  reliance  on  charity  for  subsistence 
on  their  way. 

The  families  of  Mclntosh,  Twiggs,  and  Clarke, 
with  numerous  others,  experienced  hardships  and 
distresses  of  the  most  afflicting  character.  That 
of  Colonel  Twiggs,  while  removing  under  the 
protection  of  a  flag,  was  fired  upon  and  a  young 
man  killed  who  was  of  the  party. 

The  family  of  General  Mclntosh  was  reduced 
from  affluence  to  extreme  want.  On  reaching 
Virginia,  Mrs.  Mclntosh  was  obliged  to  apply  to 
Governor  Jefferson  for  relief  from  absolute  want. 
He  furnished  her  with  ten  thousand  dollars  in 
continental  money,  but  so  greatly  was  its  value 
depreciated,  that  it  required  seven  hundred  dol- 
lars to  purchase  a  single  pair  of  shoes. 

The  house  of  Colonel  Clarke  was  pillaged  and 
burned,  and  his  family  ordered  to  leave  the  state, 
With  no  other  means  of  conveyance  than  a  pony 
of  little  value,  Mrs.  Clarke  and  her  two  daugh- 
ters set  out  for  the  north.  Poor  as  it  was,  the 
horse  was  soon  wrested  from  them,  and  the  un- 
fortunate females  compelled  to  traverse  on  foot 
an  enemy's  country,  thinly  inhabited,  and  with- 
out any  means  of  subsistence. 

After  Savannah  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  the  legislature  dispersed  without  ap- 


ATROCIOUS   FORGERY.  195 


pointing  a  governor  for  the  ensuing  year.  John 
Werreat,  esquire,  president  of  the  council,  acting 
as  governor,  issued  on  the  4th  of  November, 
1779,  a  proclamation  representing  the  necessity 
of  convening  the  legislature,  and  fixing  the 
second  Tuesday  of  the  same  month  for  the  elec- 
tion of  members,  who  were  to  meet  at  Augusta 
without  delay. 

Fearful,  however,  that  the  British  would  seize 
upon  Augusta  before  the  authorized  election 
could  take  place,  a  number  of  gentlemen,  chosen 
from  the  county  of  Richmond  alone,  formed 
themselves  into  a  body  under  the  name  of  the 
general  assembly ;  by  whom  William  Glascock 
was  chosen  speaker,  and  George  Walton,  esquire, 
governor  of  the  state. 

During  the  session  of  this  legislature  a  letter 
was  forged  in  the  name  of  William  Glascock,  the 
speaker,  and  sent  to  the  President  of  Congress. 
This  letter,  written  by  some  rancorous  enemy  of 
General  Mclntosh,  falsely  stated  that  his  pre- 
sence in  his  native  state  gave  neither  satisfaction 
to  the  militia  nor  the  confederated  patriots  ;  and 
strongly  urged  upon  Congress  to  select  some  dis- 
tant field  for  the  exercise  of  the  abilities  of  that 
officer. 

Fortunately,  a  copy  of  the  letter  was  forwarded 
to  General  Mclntosh  and,  instantly  enclosed  to 
Mr.  Glascock,  by  whom,  and  by  the  body  over 
which  he  presided,  its  contents  were  indignantly 


196  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


disavowed,  and  the  attorney-general  ordered  to 
search  out  and  prosecute  its  author. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Georgians  whose  pro- 
perty had  been  confiscated  were  active  in  devising 
means  for  its  recovery  and  removal  to  places  of 
security.  On  the  other  hand,  the  loyalists  were 
as  energetic  in  their  attempts  to  intercept  it. 
Skirmishes  and  reprisals  occurred  continually,  and 
with  various  success.  Colonels  Twiggs,  Dooley, 
Clarke,  Few,  and  Jones  were  still  engaged  in  par- 
tisan warfare ;  sometimes  on  the  frontiers  against 
the  Indians,  and  sometimes  in  attacking  the  de- 
tached parties  of  the  British. 

To  repress  these  outbreaks,  General  Provost 
ordered  Captain  Conklin,  with  a  force  of  sixty- 
four  men,  to  proceed  to  Governor  Wright's  plan- 
tation and  disperse  the  Americans  who  were  col- 
lected, to  the  number  of  sixty,  at  that  place. 

At  the  Ogechee  Ferry,  Conklin  was  discovered 
while  in  the  act  of  crossing  over,  but  was  suf- 
fered by  Pickens  and  Twiggs  to  pass  the  river 
without  interruption  ;  they  encouraged  the  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy  by  exhibiting  only  twenty 
militia  dragoons,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Inman.  In  the  early  part  of  the  skirmish  which 
ensued,  Captain  Conklin  received  a  mortal  wound. 
Lieutenant  Honey,  finding  his  situation  critical, 
resorted  to  the  bayonet,  with  which  he  made  a 
desperate  charge,  and  was  also  wounded.  En- 
sign Supple' s  detachment  was  pressed  closely  by 


CHAKLESTON  TAKEN.  197 


Captain  Inman's  dragoons,  and  compelled  to 
retreat  through  the  swamp  in  a  rice-field,  where 
he  knew  the  dragoons  could  not  carry  the  pur- 
suit. He  rejoined  his  party,  and  ordered  the 
wounded  to  be  carried  to  the  boats.  He  kept 
up  a  retreating  fire  until  he  reached  the  river, 
which  he  recrossed.  Of  the  enemy,  two  pri- 
vates were  killed  and  seven  wounded  :  among  the 
latter  were  the  first  and  second  officers  in  the 
command. 

Finding  that  the  impressions  made  upon  the 
northern  states  were  but  transitory,  the  British 
generals  determined  to  subjugate  those  of  the 
south.  Accordingly,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1780, 
Charleston  was  invested  by  land  and  blockaded 
by  sea.  The  siege  was  continued  until  the  12th 
of  May,  when  the  works  being  considered  no 
longer  tenable,  General  Lincoln  surrendered  the 
city  to  the  British  army  and  navy. 

By  the  fall  of  Charleston,  General  Mclntosh, 
with  the  remnant  of  the  Georgia  brigade,  all  the 
other  continental  troops  in  the  southern  depart- 
ment, several  thousands  of  the  militia,  and  the 
residue  of  the  ordnance  and  military  stores  in  the 
southern  states,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  situation  of  the  Governor  of  Georgia  at 
Augusta  being  no  longer  safe,  he  retreated  with 
part  of  his  council,  and  a  number  of  his  civil 
officers  to  North  Carolina,  and  narrowly  escaped 

capture  by  the  way. 

17* 


198  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


Colonel  Heard,  president  of  the  council,  with 
several  other  members,  retired  to  Wilkes  county, 
where  the  semblance  of  a  government  was  still 
kept  up. 

The  records  of  the  state  had  been  previously 
removed  to  Charleston ;  they  were  no"w  sent  to 
North  Carolina.  Upon  the  passage  of  the  British 
army  through  the  latter  state,  the  Georgia  records 
were  carried  to  Maryland,  where  they  remained 
until  the  close  of  the  war. 

During  the  brief  administration  of  Governor 
Howley,  the  gay  and  joyous  temperament  of 
that  gentleman,  and  of  his  secretary  of  state, 
sustained  the  spirits  of  the  fugitive  council  from 
sinking  into  gloom  and  despondency. 

The  value  of  paper  money  was  at  that  time  so 
depreciated,  that  the  governor  dealt  it  out  by  the 
quire  for  a  night's  lodging  for  his  party ;  and  if 
the  fare  was  any  thing  extraordinary,  the  land- 
lord was  compensated  with  two  quires,  the  gover- 
nor gravely  signing  a  draft  upon  the  treasurer 
made  out  in  due  form  for  the  delivery  of  the  same. 

Public  opinion  about  this  time  was  strongly 
agitated  in  reference  to  the  eccentric  movements 
of  Brigadier-general  Williamson.  He  was  en- 
camped with  three  hundred  men,  near  Augusta, 
and  by  his  continual  prevarications  and  delays 
induced  many  influential  persons  to  suspect  that 
Williamson  was  by  no  means  averse  to  being 
captured  by  the  enemy. 


WILLIAMSON'S  TREACHERY.  199 


The  editor  of  the  Royal  Gazette  of  Georgia 
boldly  charged  Williamson  not  only  with  having 
the  king's  protection  in  his  pocket,  but  that  he 
had  agreed  to  accept  a  colonel's  commission  from 
the  same  source.  The  result  justified  the  charge. 
Williamson  did,  soon  after,  encourage  the  sur- 
render of  his  brigade ;  infamously  accepted  the 
proffered  commission  of  a  royalist  colonel,  and 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  warmly  advocated  the 
re-establishment  of  the  government  of  the  crown. 
Almost  simultaneous  with  the  defection  of  Wil- 
liamson, Colonel  Brown,  with  a  detachment  of 
royalist  forces,  took  military  possession  of  Au- 
gusta. 

But  there  were,  even  in  these  desperate  times, 
a  few  noble  hearted  patriots  who  would  not  de- 
spair of  eventually  saving  their  country.  Colonel 
Elijah  Clarke  had  embodied  three  hundred  men 
in  Wilkes  county,  and  Colonels  Jones  and  Few, 
commanding  two  detachments  of  a  similar  de- 
scription, as  soon  as  they  were  advised  of  the 
treachery  of  Williamson,  retreated  across  the 
country  and  joined  their  forces  to  those  already 
collected  by  Clarke.  Immediately  after  occupy- 
ing Augusta,  Colonel  Brown  despatched  emis- 
saries into  the  country,  with  authority  to  give 
protection  and  administer  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  British  crown.  One  of  these  parties  en- 
tered the  house  of  Colonel  John  Dooley  at  a  late 
hour  of  the  night,  and  barbarously  murdered  him 


200  HISTORY  OP  GEORGIA. 


in  the  presence  of  his  wife  and  children.  The 
loss  of  so  energetic  a  partisan  as  Colonel  Dooley, 
was  severely  felt  among  the  patriots,  and  was  one 
among  the  many  causes  of  those  terrible  measures 
of  retaliation  which  were  afterward  enforced. 

Previous  to  the  murder  of  Colonel  Dooley,  a 
detachment  was  sent  by  McGirth  into  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Captain  McKay,  in  South  Carolina. 
In  two  days  seventeen  men  were  massacred  on 
their  farms,  and  the  whole  of  a  flourishing  coun- 
try of  thirty  miles  in  length,  and  ten  in  breadth, 
was  desolated  by  these  banditti. 

Disappointed  in  their  expectations  of  getting 
possession  of  McKay's  person,  they  resorted  to 
the  torture  of  his  wife  to  extort  from  her  a  know- 
ledge of  the  place  of  his  concealment.  The  mode 
of  inflicting  the  torture  was  by  taking  a  flint  out 
of  the  lock  of  a  musket,  and  putting  her  thumb 
in  its  place.  The  screw  was  applied,  until  the 
thumb  was  ready  to  burst.  While  under  this  new 
species  of  torture,  which  would  have  disgraced 
the  most  savage  n'ation  in  the  world,  in  addition 
to  the  questions  put  to  her  respecting  her  hus- 
band, she  was  required  to  disclose  the  secret 
deposit  of  his  most  valuable  property,  which  they 
alleged  had  been  removed  and  hidden  in  the 
woods.  If  McKay  was  afterward  charged  with 
inhumanity  to  those  whom  he  captured,  the  gross 
outrage  just  narrated  must  be  admitted  as  afford- 
ing at  least  some  palliation  for  his  conduct. 


NANCY   HAKT.  201 


It  was  at  this  bloody  period  of  the  war  that  the 
well-known  incident  occurred,  which,  though  va- 
riously related,  has  never  been  so  well  told  as  in 
the  following  account  by  Mrs.  Ellet : — 

"  In  a  portion  of  Wilkes — now  Elbert  county 
— called  by  tories,  "The  Hornest's  Nest,"  on 
account  of  the  number  of  whigs  among  the  in- 
habitants, a  stream  named  '  War-woman's  Creek,' 
joined  Broad  River.  It  was  so  called  on  account 
of  a  zealous  tory-hating  heroine  who  lived  on  its 
banks.  On  the  occasion  of  an  excursion  from 
the  British  camp  at  Augusta,  into  the  interior  for 
the  purpose  of  pillage  and  murder,  five  loyalists 
separated  from  their  party,  and  crossed  the  river 
to  examine  the  neighbourhood  and  pay  a  visit  to 
their  old  acquaintance,  Nancy  Hart.  When  they 
arrived  at  her  cabin,  they  unceremoniously  en- 
tered it,  and  informed  her  they  had  come  to  learn 
the  truth  of  a  story,  that  she  had  secreted  a 
noted  rebel  from  a  party  of  'king's  men,'  who, 
but  for  her  interference,  would  have  caught  and 
hung  him.  Nancy  undauntedly  avowed  her 
agency  in  the  fugitive's  escape.  She  had  heard 
at  first,  she  said,  the  tramp  of  a  horse,  and  then 
saw  a  man  on  horseback  approaching  her  cabin. 
As  soon  as  she  knew  him  to  be  a  whig  flying  from 
pursuit,  she  let  the  down  the  bars  in  front  of  her 
cabin,  and  motioned  him  to  pass  through  both 
doors  and  take  to  the  swamp.  She  then  put  up 
the  bars,  entered  the  cabin,  and  closed  the  doors. 


202  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


Presently  some  tories  rode  up  to  the  bars,  calling 
vociferously  for  her.  She  muffled  up  her  head 
and  face,  and  opening  the  door,  inquired  why 
they  disturbed  a  sick,  lone  woman.  They  said 
they  had  traced  a  man  they  wanted  to  catch  near 
to  her  house,  and  asked  if  any  one  on  horseback 
had  passed  that  way.  She  answered  no,  but  that 
she  saw  some  one  on  a  sorrel  horse  turn  out  of 
the  path  into  the  woods,  two  or  three  hundred 
yards  back.  'That  must  be  the  fellow!'  said 
the  tories ;  and  asking  her  direction  as  to  the 
way  he  took,  they  turned  about  and  went  off, 
'  well-fooled,'  concluded  Nancy,  <  in  an  opposite 
course  to  that  of  my  whig  boy,  when,  if  they  had 
not  been  so  lofty-minded,  but  had  looked  on  the 
ground  inside  the  bars,  they  would  have  seen  his 
horse's  tracks  up  to  that  door,  as  plain  as  you  can 
see  the  tracks  on  this  floor,  and  out  of  t'other 
door  down  the  path  to  the  swamp.' 

"  This  bold  story  did  not  much  please  the  tory 
party,  but  they  contented  themselves  with  order- 
ing her  to  prepare  them  something  to  eat.  She 
replied  that  she  never  fed  traitors  and  king's 
men  if  she  could  help  it — the  villains  having  put 
it  out  of  her  power  to  feed  even  her  own  family 
and  friends,  by  stealing  and  killing  all  her  poul- 
try and  pigs,  <  except  that  one  old  gobbler  you  see 
in  the  yard.'  <  And  that  you  shall  cook  for  us,' 
said  one  who  appeared  to  be  a  leader ;  and  raising 
his  musket  he  shot  down  the  turkey,  which 


NANCY  HART.  203 


another  brought  in  and  handed  to  Mrs.  Hart 
to  be  cleaned  and  cooked  without  delay.  She 
stormed  a  while,  but  seeming  at  last  disposed  to 
make  a  merit  of  necessity,  began  with  alacrity  the 
arrangements  for  cooking,  assisted  by  her  daugh- 
ter, a  little  girl  ten  or  twelve  years  old. 

"  The  spring — of  which  every  settlement  had 
one  near — was  just  at  the  edge  of  the  swamp ;  and 
a  short  distance  within  the  swamp  was  hid  among 
the  trees  a  high  snag-topped  stump,  on  which  was 
placed  a  conch-shell.  This  rude  trumpet  was 
used  by  the  family  to  convey  information,  by  va- 
riations in  its  notes,  to  Hart  or  his  neighbours, 
who  might  be  at  work  in  a  field  or  <  clearing' 
at  hand — to  let  them  know  that  the  <  Britishers' 
or  tories  were  about — that  the  master  was  wanted 
at  the  cabin — or  that  he  was  to  keep  close,  or 
<  make  tracks'  for  another  swamp.  While  cook- 
ing the  turkey,  Nancy  sent  her  daughter  to  the 
spring  for  water,  with  directions  to  blow  the 
conch  in  such  a  way  as  should  inform  her  father 
there  were  tories  in  the  cabin ;  and  that  he  was 
to  keep  close  with  his  three  neighbours  until  he 
should  again  hear  the  signal. 

«  While  the  men,  who  had  become  merry  over 
their  jug  of  liquor,  were  feasting  upon  the  slaugh- 
tered gobbler,  Nancy  waited  on  the  table,  and 
occasionally  passed  between  them  and  their  mus- 
kets. She  had  contrived  that  there  should  be  no 
water  in  the  cabin ;  and  when  it  was  called  for, 


204  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


despatched  Sukey  a  second  time  to  the  spring, 
with  instructions  to  blow  such  a  signal  on  the 
conch  as  should  call  up  Hart  and  his  neighbours 
immediately.  Meanwhile  she  had  managed  by 
slipping  out  one  of  the  pieces  of  pine  which  form 
a  *  chinking'  between  the  logs  of  a  cabin,  to  open 
a  space  through  which  she  was  able  to  pass  to  the 
outside  two  of  the  five  guns.  She  was  detected 
in  the  act  of  putting  out  the  third.  The  men 
sprang  to  their  feet,  when,  quick  as  thought, 
Nancy  brought  the  piece  she  held,  to  her  shoul- 
der, declaring  she  would  kill  the  first  man  who 
approached  her.  The  men  arriving  from  the 
field,  the  tories  were  taken  prisoners,  and,  sad  to 
relate !  received  no  more  mercy  than  had  some 
of  the  whigs  at  the  hands  of  their  enemies." 

During  the  month  of  June,  Colonel  Clarke  was 
actively  engaged  in  collecting  additional  troops, 
and  in  concerting  with  the  authorities  of  South 
Carolina  the  plan  of  a  campaign  against  the  enemy. 

Agreeably  to  appointment,  on  the  llth  of  July, 
one  hundred  and  forty  men,  well  mounted  and 
armed,  reached  the  rendezvous  at  Freeman's 
Fort;  but  as  the  British  and  loyalists  were  in 
force  in  his  front,  Clarke  proposed  to  disband  his 
men  for  a  time,  and  wait  until  a  more  favourable 
opportunity  occurred  for  carrying  out  his  designs. 

This  arrangement  was  very  generally  approved, 
but  Colonel  Jones,  joined  by  some  thirty-five 
men,  determined  to  force  their  way  across  the 


PARTISAN   SKIRMISHES.  205 


state  into  North  Carolina,  and  join  the  American 
army  wherever  it  was  to  be  found. 

On  the  14th,  Jones  surprised,  by  stratagem,  a 
party  of  loyalists,  killed  one  and  wounded  three, 
and  took  twenty-eight  prisoners.  The  next  day 
he  joined  Colonel  McDonald  at  Earls'  Ford,  on 
Packolet  River.  The  united  forces  numbered 
over  four  hundred  men. 

Ignorant  of  the  approach  of  McDowell,  Colo- 
nel Innis,  commander  of  the  British  garrison  at 
Prince's  Fort,  despatched  Captain  Dunlop  with 
seventy  dragoons,  in  pursuit  of  Jones.  Dunlop 
pressed  forward  with  rapidity,  attacked  the  Ame- 
rican encampment  during  the  night,  killed  and 
wounded  thirty-eight  men,  and  retreated  with  the 
loss  of  but  one  man  wounded. 

A  pursuit  was  immediately  ordered,  and  after 
a  march  of  fifteen  miles  in  two  hours,  Dunlop  was 
himself  defeated  in  turn,  with  the  loss  of  eight  men 
killed  at  the  first  fire,  and  many  others  killed  and 
wounded  before  he  was  enabled  to  reach  the  fort. 

Clarke,  having  in  the  mean  time,  re-assembled 
his  regiment,  was  joined  soon  after  by  Colonel 
Jones,  near  the  line  which  separates  North  from 
South  Carolina.  His  presence  forming  a  great 
annoyance  to  Colonel  Innis  and  his  garrison,  the 
latter  determined  to  bring  on  a  general  action ; 
but  after  a  short  but  indecisive  skirmish  at  Waf- 
ford's  Iron-works,  in  which  Major  Burwell  Smith 
was  killed,  both  parties  retired  from  the  field. 

18 


206  *  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


The  loss  of  Major  Smith  was  greatly  regretted  by 
Colonel  Clarke,  who  considered  him  as  one  of  his 
best  partisan  officers. 

The  continued  success  of  the  American  foraging 
parties  determined  Colonel  Innis  to  increase  his 
force,  renew  the  attack  upon  Clarke's  camp,  and, 
if  possible,  drive  him  out  of  the  country.  On  the 
night  of  the  17th  of  August,  the  approach  of 
Innis — whose  command  consisted  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men — was  communicated  to  Colonel 
Clarke.  Fortunately,  the  latter  had  previously 
been  joined  by  Colonels  Williams,  Branham,  and 
Shelby,  whose  forces  had  raised  Clarke's  num- 
bers to  an  equality  with  those  of  the  enemy.  It 
was,  therefore,  determined  to  give  battle  the  next 
morning. 

About  four  miles  from  Musgrove's  Mill  there 
was  a  plantation,  through  which  was  a  lane,  and 
Clarke  considered  that  the  north  end  of  it  afforded 
him  a  favourable  position  for  an  attack. 

He  advanced  with  one  hundred  men,  himself 
on  the  right,  and  Major  McCall  on  the  left ;  form- 
ing in  the  edge  of  the  thick  wood  across  the  road, 
and  extending  his  flanks  near  the  fence.  Wil- 
liams and  Branham  were  ordered  to  form  close 
in  the  rear  of  the  flanks,  and  Shelby  to  cover 
the  centre  as  a  reserved  corps,  and  to  throw  his 
force  wherever  circumstances  might  require.  The 
advance-guard  of  the  enemy  were  within  fifty 
paces  before  they  were  aware  of  danger.  When 


THE   BRITISH   DEFEATED.  207 


Clarke  commenced  the  attack,  Innis  ordered  his 
dragoons  and  mounted  militia  to  charge  upon  the 
Americans,  and  force  them  from  the  ground  they 
occupied,  that  he  might  have  room  to  form  his 
regulars.  Clarke  was  aware  that  the  issue  of  the 
battle  depended  on  his  holding  his  ground,  so  as 
to  force  the  British  regulars  to  form  in  the  open 
field,  while  his  own  men  would  be  covered  by  the 
fence  and  the  woods.  Williams  and  Branham 
advanced  and  formed  upon  the  right  and  left,  and 
Shelby  to  the  support  of  the  centre,  when  the 
contest  became  close  and  sanguinary.  Observ- 
ing this  additional  force,  the  dragoons  and  royal 
militia  retreated  into  the  lane  among  the  British 
regulars,  thus  increasing  the  confusion,  and  flying 
from  the  field  in  the  utmost  disorder.  The  regu- 
lars had  not  room  to  form,  and  if  they  had  done 
so  in  the  open  field,  it  would  have  been  to  great 
disadvantage.  In  this  confused  state,  exposed 
to  a  galling  fire  from  the  American  riflemen,  they 
remained  but  a  few  minutes  before  seven  British 
officers  out  of  nine  were  either  killed  or  wounded ; 
and  the  men  tumbled  down  in  heaps,  without  the 
power  of  resistance.  Among  the  wounded  was 
the  British  commander.  Captain  Ker,  second  in 
command,  finding  that  resistance  would  then  be 
vain,  and  without  hope  of  success,  ordered  a  re- 
treat ;  which  was  effected  in  close  order  for  four 
miles,  resorting  to  the  bayonet  in  flank  and  rear. 
The  pursuit  was  continued  by  the  victors,  until 


208  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 

the  enemy  took  refuge  in  Musgrove's  Mill.  The 
British  loss  was  sixty-three  killed,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  wounded  and  prisoners.  The 
American  loss  was  four  killed  and  nine  wounded. 
Among  the  former  was  Captain  Inman,  and  among 
the  latter  were  Colonel  Clarke  and  Captain  John 
Clarke.  The  colonel  received  two  wounds  with 
a  sabre  on  the  back  of  his  neck  and  head.  His 
stock-buckle  saved  his  life.  He  was  for  a  few 
minutes  a  prisoner  with  the  enemy,  in  charge  of 
two  men ;  but  taking  advantage  of  his  strength 
and  activity,  he  knocked  one  of  them  down,  and 
the  other  fled. 

Colonel  Clarke,  after  burying  his  dead,  returned 
to  his  former  encampment  near  the  iron-works. 


PLEDGES   VIOLATED.  209 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Cornwallis  violates  his  pledges  of  protection — Indignation  of 
the  people — Clarke  returns  to  Georgia — Siege  of  Augusta — 
Brown's  desperate  defence — Cruger  advances  to  reinforce 
Brown — Retreat  of  Clarke — 'Cruelty  of  Brown  toward  his 
prisoners — Savage  treatment  of  Mr.  Alexander  by  Colonel 
Grierson — Ferguson  ordered  to  intercept — Is  pursued  himself 
— Battle  of  King's  Mountain — Skirmishes — Clarke  wounded. 

LORD  Cornwallis,  having,  as  he  supposed,  en- 
tirely subjugated  the  states  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina,  now  shamefully  determined  to  violate 
those  pledges  of  protection  which  many  of  the 
inhabitants  had  been  compelled  previously  to 
accept. 

The  impression  first  made  upon  the  public  mind 
was,  that  persons  and  property  were  to  be  secured 
against  outrage  and  molestation  by  the  British 
troops  and  loyalists ;  and  that  peaceable  citizens 
were  not  to  take  up  arms  against  the  crown  of 
Great  Britain  so  long  as  these  conditions  were 
duly  regarded. 

So  soon,  however,  as  Cornwallis  had  succeeded 
in  restoring  the  government  of  the  crown,  he 
wrote  secret  orders  to  the  commanders  of  his 
outposts,  directing  them  to  punish  with  the  utmost 
rigour  all  who  had  taken  part  in  the  revolt,  to 
imprison  all  who  refused  to  take  up  arms  on  the 

18* 


210  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


side  of  the  British,  and  to  confiscate  or  destroy 
their  property.  The  most  positive  instructions 
were  also  given  to  hang  every  militia-man  who, 
after  having  once  borne  arms  for  the  crown,  had 
subsequently  joined  the  patriots. 

Orders  of  so  sanguinary  a  character  could  not 
remain  long  unknown  to  the  people.  Indignant 
at  this  gross  violation  of  the  compact  entered  into 
between  themselves  and  their  brutal  rulers,  many 
immediately  flew  to  arms  ;  while  others  of  a  cooler 
temperament  smothered  their  resentment  for  a 
time,  but  were  not  the  less  resolved  to  shake  off, 
at  the  first  favourable  opportunity,  their  allegiance 
to  a  government  as  treacherous  as  it  was  blood- 
thirsty. Among  the  most  confident  of  those  who 
entertained  hopes  that  the  authorized  cruelties, 
which  ensued  soon  afterward,  would  rouse  a  large 
proportion  of  the  population  into  open  rebellion, 
were  Colonel  Elijah  Clarke  and  Lieutenant-colonel 
McCall. 

About  the  1st  of  September,  1780,  the  first 
returned  to  Wilkes  county  in  Georgia ;  while  the 
other  went  into  the  western  part  of  Ninety-Six 
district,  with  the  expectation  of  raising  a  joint 
force  of  at  least  one  thousand  men.  To  such  an 
army  it  was  supposed  that  Augusta  would  sub- 
mit with  little  or  no  resistance,  and  that  Ninety- 
Six  might  soon  afterward  be  menaced,  and  would 
probably  be  evacuated  by  the  enemy.  The  suc- 
cess of  this  scheme  would  have  given  the  Ameri- 


AUGUSTA   ATTACKED.  211 


cans  the  whole  of  the  western  divisions  of  Georgia 
and  South  Carolina. 

Instead  of  five  hundred  men,  which  McCall 
had  confidently  calculated  on  from  Carolina,  his 
persuasions  could  only  induce  eighty  to  accom- 
pany him  upon  the  expedition.  Clarke  had  been 
more  successful.  His  numbers  amounted  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty. 

With  this  small  band  he  determined  to  precipi- 
tate himself  suddenly  upon  Augusta ;  and  as  soon 
as  he  was  joined  by  McCall,  he  commenced  his 
march. 

The  garrison  of  Augusta  consisted,  at  the  time 
of  Clarke's  approach,  of  five  hundred  and  fifty 
rangers  and  Indians,  under  the  command  of  the 
renegade  Colonel  Brown. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  September,  the 
Americans  halted,  unobserved,  near  the  town,  and 
separated  their  forces  into  three  divisions.  One 
of  these  divisions,  under  Major  Taylor,  while 
advancing  to  the  attack,  fell  in  with  an  Indian 
camp  near  to  Hawk's  Creek,  and  drove  the 
savages  back  upon  their  allies.  Taylor  press- 
ed on  to  get  possession  of  McKay's  trading- 
house,  denominated  the  white  house,  one  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  the  town.  At  this  house  the 
Indians  joined  a  company  of  the  king's  rangers, 
commanded  by  Captain  Johnston.  The  attack 
upon  the  camp  gave  the  first  intimation  to  Brown 
of  the  Americans'  approach.  He  ordered  Grier- 


212  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


son  to  reinforce  Johnston,  and  advanced  to  the 
scene  of  action  in  person,  with  the  main  body. 
The  centre  and  right  divisions  completely  sur- 
prised the  garrisons  of  the  forts,  and  took  pos- 
session without  resistance.  Seventy  prisoners, 
and  all  the  Indians  present,  were  put  under 
charge  of  a  guard,  and  Clarke  marched  with  the 
residue  to  the  assistance  of  Major  Taylor.  Brown 
and  Grierson  had  joined  Johnston  and  the  In- 
dians, and  upon  Clarke's  approach,  took  shelter 
in  the  white  house,  and  defended  it.  Several 
attempts  were  made  to  dislodge  the  enemy,  by 
taking  possession  of  some  small  out-houses  to  the 
eastward ;  but  they  failed,  from  the  houses  being 
too  small  and  flanked  by  the  Indians.  Finding 
that  these  houses  furnished  little  or  no  defence, 
they  were  abandoned.  A  desultory  fire  was  con- 
tinued from  eleven  o'clock  until  night,  but  it  was 
found  that  the  enemy  could  not  be  dislodged 
without  artillery. 

At  the  close  of  the  day  the  firing  ceased,  and 
strong  guards  were  posted  to  keep  the  enemy 
in  check.  Under  cover  of  the  night,  Brown 
strengthened  his  position  by  throwing  up  some 
works  around  the  house,  and  by  filling  the  inter- 
stices between  the  weather-boarding  with  earth. 

The  next  morning  Clarke  brought  up  two 
pieces  of  artillery  from  Grierson's  Fort,  which 
were  placed  in  a  position  to  bear  upon  the  house  ; 
but  owing  to  unskilful  management,  and  the 


SIEGE    OF   AUGUSTA   RAISED.  213 


fall  of  his  only  artillerist,  they  proved  of  little 
use. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  the  Americans 
succeeded  in  driving  the  Indians  from  their  shel- 
ter, and  cut  off  the  supply  of  water,  by  which  the 
enemy,  particularly  the  wounded,  suffered  greatly. 
Early  in  the  engagement,  Brown  was  shot  through 
both  thighs  and  suffered  among  the  wounded,  who 
were  often  heard  calling  for  water  and  medical 
aid. 

The  sufferings  of  the  wounded,  the  nauseous 
smell  of  animal  putrefaction  from  the  dead  bodies 
of  men  and  horses  lying  around,  and  the  want 
of  water,  it  was  supposed,  would  induce  the 
enemy  to  surrender. 

Accordingly,  on  the  17th,  Clarke  sent  Colonel 
Brown  a  summons,  but  the  proposition  was  re- 
jected. In  the  afternoon  the  summons  was  re- 
peated ;  the  reply  of  Brown  expressed  his  deter- 
mination to  defend  himself  to  the  last  extremity. 

The  only  hope  of  the  latter  rested  upon  the 
messengers  he  had  sent  off  early  in  the  contest  to 
Colonel  Cruger  at  Ninety-Six,  asking  immediate 
reinforcements.  Nor  were  these  hopes  fallacious. 
On  the  night  of  the  17th,  Clarke's  spies  informed 
him  of  the  approach  of  Cruger  by  forced  marches, 
with  five  hundred  British  regulars  and  militia ; 
and  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  18th, 
the  Americans  raised  the  siege,  after  having  held 
the  enemy  for  three  days  almost  within  their 


214  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


grasp.  The  retreat  itself  was  a  bitter  mortifica- 
tion, but  the  consequences  which  immediately 
followed  it  were  horrible. 

When  Clarke  felt  himself  compelled  to  retire 
before  a  vastly  superior  force  of  the  enemy,  he 
humanely  paroled  his  prisoners,  to  the  number 
of  fifty- four  officers  and  men,  hoping  that  this 
considerate  policy  would  operate  favourably  in 
regard  to  such  of  his  own  wounded  as  were  not 
in  a  condition  to  be  removed  from  the  town.  He 
had  fearfully  mistaken  the  character  of  his  enemy. 
The  prisoners  he  had  released  immediately  vio- 
lated their  parole,  and  took  up  arms  against  him. 

Captain  Ashy,  an  officer  noted  for  his  bravery 
and  humanity,  with  twenty-eight  others,  including 
the  wounded,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
and  were  disposed  of,  under  the  sanguinary  order 
of  Lord  Cornwallis,  in  the  following  manner : 
Captain  Asby  and  twelve  of  the  wounded  prison- 
ers were  .hanged  on  the  staircase  of  the  White- 
house,  where  Brown  was  lying  wounded,  so  that 
he  might  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
victims  of  his  vengeance  expire.  Their  bodies 
were  delivered  up  to  the  Indians,  who  scalped 
and  otherwise  mangled  them  and  threw  them  in 
the  river.  Henry  Duke,  John  Burgamy,  Scott 

Redden,  Jordan  Ricketson,  Darling,  and 

two  youths,  brothers,  of  seventeen  and  fifteen 
years  of  age,  named  Glass,  were  all  hanged : 
the  former  of  these  youths  was  shot  through  the 


ATROCIOUS    CRUELTIES.  215 


thigh,  and  could  not  be  carried  off  when  the  re- 
treat was  ordered,  and  the  younger  brother  could 
not  be  prevailed  on  to  leave  him ;  his  tenderness 
and  affection  cost  him  his  life.  A  horse  was  the 
fatal  scaffold  on  which  they  were  mounted,  and 
from  the  gibbet  they  entered  together  on  the  long 
journey  of  eternity. 

All  this  was  merciful,  when  compared  with 
the  fate  which  awaited  the  other  prisoners.  They 
were  delivered  to  the  Indians  to  glut  their  ven- 
geance for  the  loss  they  had  sustained  in  the 
action  and  siege.  The  Indians  formed  a  circle 
and  placed  the  prisoners  in  the  centre,  and  their 
eagerness  to  shed  blood  spared  the  victims  from 
tedious  torture :  some  were  scalped  before  they 
sunk  under  the  Indian  weapons  of  war ;  others 
were  thrown  into  fires  and  roasted  to  death. 

Thus  mournfully  ended  an  expedition  which, 
had  it  been  successful,  would  have  been  lauded 
as  highly  as  it  was  subsequently  censured. 

After  the  siege  was  raised  the  country  was 
searched,  and  those  whose  relations  were  engaged 
in  the  American  cause  were  arrested  and  crowded 
into  prisons  :  others  who  were  suspected  of  hav- 
ing intercourse  with  any  of  Clarke's  command 
were  hanged  without  the  forms  of  trial.  The 
venerable  grandfathers  of  the  American  patriots, 
whose  hoary  heads  were  bending  toward  the 
grave,  were  crowded  into  filthy  places  of  confine- 
ment for  no  other  crimes  than  those  of  receiving 


216  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


visits  from  their  descendants,  after  a  long  ab- 
sence. Among  the  number  was  the  father  of 
Captains  Samuel  and  James  Alexander,  in  the 
seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age  :  he  was  arrested 
by  a  party  commanded  by  Colonel  Grierson,  and 
by  his  order  was  ignominiously  chained  to  a  cart, 
and  dragged  like  a  criminal  forty  miles  in  two 
days ;  and  when  he  attempted  to  rest  his  feeble 
frame  by  leaning  upon  the  cart,  the  driver  was 
ordered  to  scourge  him  with  his  whip.  These  old 
men  were  kept  in  close  confinement,  as  hostages 
for  the  neutrality  of  the  country  ;  but  by  the  in- 
clemency of  the  season,  the  small-pox,  and  inhu- 
man treatment,  very  few  of  them  survived  to 
greet  their  friends  in  freedom,  upon  the  re-con- 
quest of  it  by  the  American  troops. 

So  soon  as  Lord  Cornwallis  heard  of  the  retreat 
of  Clarke  from  Augusta,  he  directed  Major  Fer- 
guson, a  partisan  officer  of  distinguished  merit, 
to  march  to  the  frontiers  of  South  Carolina  and 
intercept  Clarke. 

The  hardy  mountaineers  of  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina,  collecting  at  this  time  from  various 
quarters,  constituted  a  formidable  force,  and  ad- 
vanced by  a  rapid  movement  toward  Ferguson. 

At  the  same  time,  Colonel  Williams,  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  Ninety-Six,  and  Colonels 
Tracy  and  Banan,  also  of  South  Carolina,  con- 
ducted parties  of  men  toward  the  same  points. 
Ferguson,  having  notice  of  their  approach,  com- 


BATTLE    OF    KING'S    MOUNTAIN.  217 


menced  his  march  for  Charlottesville.  The  several 
corps  of  militia,  amounting  to  near  three  thou- 
sand men,  met  at  Gilbert-town,  lately  occupied 
by  Ferguson.  About  one  thousand  six  hundred 
riflemen  were  immediately  selected,  and  mounted 
on  their  fleetest  horses,  for  the  purpose  of  follow- 
ing the  retreating  army.  They  came  up  with  the 
enemy  at  King's  Mountain,  October  7th,  1780, 
where  Ferguson,  on  finding  he  should  be  over- 
taken, had  chosen  his  ground,  and  waited  for  an 
attack. 

The  Americans  formed  themselves  into  three 
divisions,  led  by  Colonels  Campbell,  Shelby,  and 
Cleaveland,  and  began  to  ascend  the  mountain  in 
three  different  and  opposite  directions.  Cleave- 
land, with  his  division,  was  the  first  to  gain  sight 
of  the  enemy's  picket,  and  halting  his  men,  he 
addressed  them  in  the  following  simple,  affecting, 
and  animating  terms: — "My  brave  fellows,  we 
have  beat  the  tories,  and  we  can  beat  them  ;  they 
are  all  cowards.  If  they  had  the  spirit  of  men, 
they  would  join  their  fellow-citizens  in  supporting 
the  independence  of  their  country.  When  en- 
gaged, you  are  not  to  wait  for  the  word  of  com- 
mand from  me.  /  will  show  you  how  to  fight  by 
my  example.  I  can  undertake  no  more.  Every 
man  must  consider  himself  as  an  officer,  and  act 
from  his  own  judgment.  Fire  as  quick  as  you 
can.  When  you  can  do  no  better,  get  behind 
trees  or  retreat,  but  I  beg  you  not  to  run  quite 

19 


218  HISTORY    OF   GEORGIA. 


off.  If  we  are  repulsed,  let  us  make  a  point  to 
return  and  renew  the  fight ;  perhaps  we  may 
have  better  luck  in  the  second  attempt  than  in 
the  first.  If  any  of  you  are  afraid,  such  have 
leave  to  retire,  and  they  are  requested  imme- 
diately to  take  themselves  off" 

This  address,  which  would  have  done  honour 
to  the  hero  of  Agincourt,  being  ended,  the  men 
rushed  upon  the  enemy's  pickets,  and  forced  them 
to  retire ;  but  returning  again  to  the  charge  with 
the  bayonet,  Cleaveland's  men  gave  way  in  their 
turn.  In  the  mean  time,  Colonel  Shelby  advanced 
with  his  division,  and  was  in  like  manner  driven 
back  by  the  bayonets  of  the  enemy ;  but  there 
was  yet  another  body  of  assailants  to  be  received  : 
Colonel  Campbell  moved  up  at  the  moment  of 
Shelby's  repulse,  but  was  equally  unable  to  stand 
against  the  British  bayonets,  and  Ferguson  still 
kept  possession  of  his  mountain.  The  whole  of 
the  division  being  separately  baffled,  determined 
to  make  an  other  effort  in  co-operation,  and  the 
conflict  became  terrible. 

Ferguson  still  depended  upon  the  bayonet ;  but 
this  brave  and  undaunted  officer,  after  gallantly 
sustaining  the  attack  for  nearly  an  hour,  was 
killed  by  a  musket-ball,  and  his  troops  soon  after 
surrendered  at  discretion.  The  whole  army  of 
the  enemy,  consisting  of  over  eleven  hundred 
men,  with  but  few  exceptions,  were  either  killed, 
wounded,  or  taken  prisoners ;  and  all  their  arms, 


THE  AMERICANS   VICTORIOUS.  219 


ammunition,  camp  equipage,  horses,  and  baggage 
of  every  description  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
victorious  Americans.  The  loss  of  the  latter  did 
not  exceed  twenty  in  killed,  though  the  number 
of  their  wounded  was  very  considerable. 

After  disposing  of  their  families  among  the 
hospitable  inhabitants  of  Kentucky,  Clarke  col- 
lected the  remains  of  his  regiment,  recrossed  the 
mountains,  and  formed  a  junction  with  General 
Sumpter,  on  the  borders  of  South  Carolina. 
While  they  remained  in  the  latter  state,  the 
Georgians  took  an  active  and  an  honourable  part 
in  the  battles  of  Fishdam  Ford,  Blackstocks,  and 
Longcane,  and  subsequently,  under  Morgan, 
shared  in  the  more  important  victory  at  the  Cow- 
pens.  Colonel  Clarke,  however,  was  unable  to 
take  any  part  personally  in  the  latter  battle, 
owing  to  his  having  received  a  dangerous  wound 
Curing  the  action  at  Longcane. 


220  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Skirmish  at  Beattie's  Mill — Sickness  of  Clarke — Death  of 
McCall — Georgians  harass  the  British — Skirmish  at  Wig- 
gins's  Hill — Death  of  Rannal  McKay  and  others — Augusta 
invested  by  Williamson — Clarke  assumes  command — Is  re- 
inforced by  Pickens  and  Lee — Fort  Grierson  abandoned — 
Colonel  Grierson  shot — Surrender  of  Brown — Mrs.  McKay's 
interview  with  him — Fort  Ninety-Six  abandoned  by  Cruger 
— Wayne  advances  toward  Savannah — Defeats  three  hun- 
dred Creek  Indians — Pickens  marches  against  the  CLerokees 
— Closing  of  the  war — Savannah  evacuated — Treaty  of 
peace  concluded  at  Paris. 

As  soon  as  Clarke  had  sufficiently  recovered 
of  his  wound,  he  joined  General  Pickens  in 
Ninety-Six  district,  and  took  part  in  the  skir- 
mish at  Beattie's  Mill  on  Little  River.  In  this 
spirited  affair,  Major  Dunlop,  with  seventy-fiv§ 
British  dragoons,  were  signally  defeated ;  Dun- 
lop  himself  killed,  nearly  half  of  his  entire  force 
either  killed  or  wounded,  and  the  remainder  made 
prisoners  of  war. 

When  it  became  known  that  General  Greene 
intended  to  advance  into  South  Carolina,  Clarke 
proceeded  into  Georgia  with  his  troops,  accompa- 
nied by  McCall  and  a  part  of  his  regiment  from 
South  Carolina. 

About  the  middle  of  April,  1781,  both  these 
officers  were  seized  with  the  small-pox.  Clarke 


SKIRMISHES.  221 


eventually  recovered,  but  McCall  returned  into 
Carolina  and  died  of  the  disease. 

When  the  Georgians  returned  into  their  own 
state,  they  dispersed  into  parties  of  ten  and  twelve 
men  each,  so  as  to  spread  themselves  over  the 
settlements  and  harass  the  enemy  as  much  as 
possible. 

Information  having  been  received  by  Colonel 
Brown,  that  Colonel  Harden  with  a  body  of 
American  militia  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Coosawhatchie,  he  ordered  his  provincials  to  join 
him  at  Augusta  and  defend  it ;  but  they  shrunk 
from  the  dangerous  task,  and  fled  into  the  Indian 
country. 

Brown  now  determined  to  attack  Harden  in 
person.  They  met  at  Wiggins's  Hill;  where, 
after  a  sharp  contest,  the  Americans  were  de- 
feated, with  the  loss  of  seven  killed  and  eleven 
wounded.  Several  prisoners  were  captured  after 
the  skirmish  by  detached  parties  of  the  enemy. 
Among  these  was  Rannal  McKay,  a  youth  of 
seventeen  years  of  age.  Mrs.  McKay,  who  was 
a  widow,  hearing  of  the  captivity  of  her  son,  re- 
paired to  Brown's  camp,  carrying  with  her  some 
refreshments  which  she  intended  to  present  to 
him,  as  a  means  of  obtaining  more  ready  access 
to  his  person. 

Brown  received  the  refreshments,  but  turned 
a  deaf  ear  to  her  entreaties,  and  would  not  per- 
mit her  to  have  an  interview  with  her  son,  whose 

19* 

* 


222  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

fate  she  already  foresaw :  she  was  forced  without 
the  sentries.  Colonel  Rannal  McKinnon,  a 
Scots  officer,  who  was  a  soldier  of  honour,  and 
unused  to  murderous  warfare,  remonstrated  with 
Brown  against  hanging  the  youth,  and  gave  Mrs. 
McKay  some  assurances  that  her  son  would  be 
safe.  Brown  returned  that  night  and  encamped 
at  Wiggins's  Hill,  and  caused  a  pen  to  he  made 
of  fence  rails,  about  three  feet  high,  in  which  he 
placed  his  prisoners,  and  covered  it  over  with 
the  same  materials.  Mrs.  McKay  had  followed 
to  the  camp,  but  was  not  permitted  to  enter  it ; 
and  Captain  McKinnon,  the  advocate  of  hu- 
manity, was  ordered  on  command. 

On  the  ensuing  morning,  the  prisoners,  Rannal 
McKay,  Britton  Williams,  George  Smith,  George 
Reed,  and  a  Frenchman,  whose  name  is  not 
known,  were  ordered  forth  to  the  gallows ;  and 
after  hanging  until  they  were  nearly  dead,  they 
were  cut  down  and  delivered  to  the  Indians,  who 
scalped  them  and  otherwise  abused  their  bodies 
in  their  accustomed  savage  manner. 

The  fate  of  young  McKay  inspired  his  brother, 
a  youth  of  fifteen,  to  join  his  countrymen  and 
add  his  strength  in  avenging  the  murder  of  his 
brother. 

But  the  period  was  fast  approaching  when 
Georgia,  bleeding  and  desolated,  was  to  be  re- 
lieved of  the  presence  of  her  sanguinary  oppres- 
sors. 


AUGUSTA   BLOCKADED.  223 


On  the  16th  of  April,  Lieutenant-colonel  Wil- 
liamson, on  whom  the  command  of  the  Georgian 
militia  was  devolved  during  the  illness  of  Colonel 
Clarke,  assembled  his  detachment  at  the  ap- 
pointed rendezvous  on  Little  River,  where  he 
was  shortly  afterward  joined  by  other  detach- 
ments of  Georgians  and  Carolinians.  With  this 
force,  but  little  superior  in  numbers  to  his  adver- 
sary, he  marched  at  once  upon  Augusta. 

Williamson  took  up  a  position  within  twelve 
hundred  yards  of  the  town,  and  fortifying  his 
camp  kept  Brown  in  a  state  of  blockade  until  the 
15th  of  May.  On  that  day,  Colonel  Clarke  ar- 
rived with  a  reinforcement  of  one  hundred  men, 
and  assumed  the  command. 

Clarke  was  unfurnished  with  cannon,  but  had 
picked  up  an  old  four-pounder  in  the  field,  which 
had  been  thrown  away  by  the  British  :  believing 
it  might  be  converted  to  use,  he  had  it  mounted, 
and  employed  a  blacksmith  to  form  pieces  of 
iron  into  the  shape  of  balls;  and  commenced 
his  approaches  by  constructing  a  battery  at  four 
hundred  yards  distance  from  Grierson's  Fort,  and 
placed  his  gun  upon  it.  Powder  was  so  scarce, 
that  orders  were  given  not  to  use  it  when  the 
sword  could  be  substituted.  He  sent  an  express 
to  General  Pickens,  stating  his  situation  and  re- 
questing assistance. 

At  the  time  the  messenger  reached  him,  Pick- 
ens  had  so  weakened  his  force  by  detachments 


224  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 

against  the  Indians,  that  he  was  unable  to  com- 
ply with  the  request.  He  sent,  however,  a  letter 
to  General  Greene,  who,  as  soon  as  he  was  in- 
formed of  the  condition  and  prospects  of  Clarke, 
ordered  a  detachment  under  Colonel  Lee  to 
march  to  his  relief.  Almost  immediately  after- 
ward, Pickens  was  placed  in  a  condition  to  fol- 
low. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  a  junction  was  formed  by 
Pickens,  Lee,  and  Clarke.  After  reconnoitring 
the  ground  and  the  British  works,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  dislodge  Grierson,  who  was  garrisoned 
about  half  a  mile  west  of  Fort  Cornwallis,  and 
either  destroy  or  intercept  him  in  his  retreat. 
The  attempt  was  immediately  made.  Discover- 
ing that  Grierson  was  in  a  critical  situation, 
Brown  drew  out  a  part  of  his  forces,  and  made 
an  ineffectual  attempt  to  relieve  his  subordinate. 

Grierson,  finding  resistance  would  be  vain, 
evacuated  his  fortress,  and  endeavoured,  under 
shelter  of  a  ravine  leading  to  the  river's  bank, 
to  unite  his  command  with  that  of  Brown  in  Fort 
Cornwallis. 

In  this  hazardous  retreat,  he  had  thirty  men 
killed,  and  forty-five  wounded  and  taken  prison- 
ers. Grierson  himself  was  shot,  after  he  had  sur- 
rendered, by  one  of  the  Georgia  riflemen.  A  re- 
ward was  offered  by  the  American  commander  for 
the  apprehension  of  the  offender,  but  without  effect. 
The  death  of  Grierson  was  in  retaliation  for  his 


SIEGE   OF   AUGUSTA.  225 


numerous  cruelties,  but  especially  for  his  barba- 
rous conduct  toward  the  venerable  Mr.  Alexander 
a  short  time  previous.  As  the  company  of  Captain 
Alexander  formed  a  part  of  the  American  force 
before  Augusta,  it  may  easily  be  conjectured  by 
whose  hand  Grierson  fell. 

Brown,  finding  that  he  would  be  closely  in- 
vested, applied  himself  to  strengthen  his  fortress ; 
and  every  part  which  required  amendment  was 
repaired  with  industry.  He  placed  the  aged 
Alexander,  and  others  who  had  long  been  in 
captivity,  in  one  of  the  bastions  most  exposed  to 
the  fire  of  the  rifle  batteries ;  one  of  which  was 
manned  by  Captain  Samuel  Alexander's  com- 
pany :  thus  the  father  was  exposed  to  be  killed 
by  the  hand  of  his  son  ;  but  he  escaped  uninjured. 

These  preparations  on  the  part  of  the  enemy 
could  not  be  counteracted.  The  Americans  had 
but  one  field-piece,  and  all  that  could  be  done 
was  only  to  be  achieved  by  close  investure  and 
regular  approaches. 

At  length,  Colonel  Lee  suggested  the  plan  of 
raising  a  tower  of  square  logs,  some  thirty  feet 
high,  proof  against  the  enemy's  artillery,  and 
sufficiently  large  and  strong  to  sustain  a  six- 
pounder. 

By  the  1st  of  June,  the  tower  was  raised  suffi- 
ciently high  to  overlook  the  works  of  the  enemy, 
and  Brown,  anticipating  the  fatal  consequences 
which  would  result  from  its  completion,  directed 


226  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


his  attention  to  the  destruction  of  it.  Finding  it 
could  not  be  destroyed  by  fair  and  open  combat, 
Brown  resorted  to  stratagem  to  effect  his  object ; 
but  in  this  also  he  was  equally  unsuccessful. 

On  the  31st  of  May,  Brown  had  been  sum- 
moned to  surrender,  but  refused.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  3d  of  June,  another  opportunity  was 
afforded  him,  which  he  rejected. 

During  the  day  an  incessant  and  galling  fire 
was  kept  up  from  the  rifle  batteries,  which  were 
raised  so  high  as  to  enable  the  besiegers  to  unman 
the  field-pieces,  and  drive  the  enemy  from  the 
opposite  bastions.  The  six-pounder  in  the  tower 
had  dismounted  the  enemy's  artillery,  and  ren- 
dered it  useless.  They  were  obliged  to  dig  vaults 
in  the  ground  within  the  fort,  to  secure  them- 
selves from  the  fire  of  the  American  riflemen. 

The  morning  of  the  4th,  at  nine  o'clock,  was 
destined  for  the  assault :  as  the  hour  approached, 
and  columns  were  arrayed  waiting  the  signal  to 
advance,  a  British  officer  appeared  with  a  flag,  and 
presented  a  letter  at  the  margin  of  the  trenches, 
addressed  to  General  Pickens  and  Colonel  Lee, 
offering  to  surrender  on  the  conditions  specified 
in  the  communication.  After  a  day's  delay,  the 
terms  which  the  Americans  offered  as  their  ulti- 
matum were  agreed  to ;  and,  on  the  morning  of 
the  5th  of  June,  the  fort  and  garrison  were  sur- 
rendered. 

The  British  loss  during  the  siege  was  fifty-two 


MRS.  MCKAY'S  ADDRESS  TO  BROWN.      227 

killed,  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-four,  in- 
cluding the  wounded,  were  made  prisoners  of  war. 
The  American  loss  was  sixteen  killed,  and  thirty- 
five  wounded,  seven  of  them  mortally.  Brown 
and  his  officers  were  placed  under  a  strong  guard 
to  secure  their  safety.  Young  McKay,  the  bro- 
ther of  the  youth  murdered  by  Brown,  endea- 
voured to  kill  the  latter,  but  was  prevented  by 
the  guard.  Mrs.  McKay  was  said  to  have  armed 
herself  for  the  same  purpose.  As  the  prisoners 
were  on  their  way  to  Savannah  for  the  purpose 
of  being  exchanged,  she  met  the  escort  at  Silver- 
bluff,  and,  after  promising  the  officer  in  charge 
to  do  no  violence  to  Brown,  obtained  leave  to 
speak  with  him.  As  soon  as  she  was  admitted 
to  his  presence,  she  thus  addressed  him : 

«  Colonel  Brown,  in  the  late  day  of  your  pros- 
perity, I  visited  your  camp,  and  on  my  knees 
supplicated  for  the  life  of  my  son  ;  but  you  were 
deaf  to  my  entreaties :  you  hanged  him,  though 
a  beardless  youth,  before  my  face.  These  eyes 
saw  him  scalped  by  the  savages  under  your  im- 
mediate command.  As  you  are  now  a  prisoner 
to  the  leaders  of  my  country,  I  lay  aside  for  the 
present  all  thoughts  of  revenge ;  but  when  you 
resume  your  sword,  I  will  go  five  hundred  miles 
to  demand  satisfaction  at  the  point  of  it,  for  the 
murder  of  my  son  !" 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  Augusta, 
Pickens  and  Lee,  with  a  part  of  the  Georgians, 


228  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 


joined  General  Greene  in  his  investment  of  Fort 
Ninety-Six.  The  approach  of  Lord  Rawdon  at 
the  head  of  two  thousand  men  compelled  Greene 
to  raise  the  siege  and  retire  toward  North  Caro- 
lina. The  situation  of  the  British  becoming  every 
day  more  precarious,  Ninety-Six  was  soon  after- 
ward abandoned  by  Colonel  Cruger,  who  de- 
stroyed the  works,  and,  retreating  upon  Orange- 
burg,  formed  a  junction  with  Rawdon. 

The  attention  of  the  continental  officers  was 
now  turned  to  the  reduction  of  Savannah ;  but 
before  this  could  be  accomplished,  it  was  found 
necessary  to  organize  an  expedition  against  the 
Indian  towns,  to  chastise  the  savages  and  loyal- 
ists, who  had  for  some  time  been  murdering  and 
plundering  along  the  frontiers.  The  expedition 
terminated  favourably,  and  for  a  few  months  the 
inhabitants  were  left  in  the  enjoyment  of  peace. 

At  length,  the  success  of  the  American  army 
under  General  Gilene  in  South  Carolina  enabled 
him  to  send  a  force,  commanded  by  General 
Wayne,  to  the  assistance  of  the  Georgians. 

The  British  Brigadier-general  Clarke,  who  at 
this  time  commanded  in  Savannah,  on  learning 
the  advance  of  Wayne,  called  in  his  outposts  and 
made  preparations  for  a  vigorous  defence.  He 
despatched  expresses  to  the  Creek  and  Cherokee 
Indians,  requesting  them  to  march  to  his  as- 
sistance ;  but  the  defeats  they  had  suffered  from 
Pickena  and  Lee  had  in  some  measure  discouraged 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  SAVAGES.        229 


them.  They  met  in  council  in  the  spring  of 
1782,  and  while  some  agreed  to  join  the  British 
on  the  southern  frontier  by  the  middle  of  May,  the 
greater  part  of  the  warriors  resolved  to  remain 
neutral.  In  the  mean  time,  in  endeavouring  to 
keep  open  the  communication  to  the  southward 
of  Savannah  for  the  purpose  of  giving  free  pas- 
sage to  his  savage  allies,  the  detachments  of  the 
British  commander  suffered  several  defeats. 

On  the  night  of  the  23d  of  June,  three  hundred 
Creek  Indians,  headed  by  Guristersigo,  reached 
undiscovered  the  vicinity  of  Wayne's  camp,  and 
while  seeking  to  avoid  it  by  surprising  the  pickets, 
fell  upon  the  main  body.  After  a  short  conflict 
the  Indians  were  routed.  Scattering  into  small 
parties  they  returned  to  the  Creek  nation,  leaving 
seventeen  men  dead  upon  the  field,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  pack-horses  loaded  with  pel- 
try, in  the  hands  of  the  victors. 

Shortly  after  this,  an  expedition  was  organized 
by  Pickens  and  Clarke  against  the  Cherokees, 
the  effect  of  which  was  to  bring  about  a  treaty 
with  that  nation,  by  which  the  Cherokees  ceded 
to  Georgia  all  the  lands  south  of  Savannah  River, 
and  east  of  the  Chattahoochee,  as  the  price  of 
peace. 

Early  in  1783,  the  chiefs  repaired  to  Augusta, 
and,  on  the  30th  of  May,  formally  ratified  the 
treaty  entered  into  with  General  Pickens  the 

September  previous. 

20 


230  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


.  Another  treaty  was  made  soon  after  with  the 
Creeks,  by  which  the  lands  claimed  by  them  east 
of  the  Oconee  River  were  surrendered  to  Georgia. 

The  war  was  now  rapidly  drawing  to-  a  close. 
The  defeat  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga,  the  capture 
of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  joined  to  the  ill-suc- 
cess which  had  attended  the  British  arms  gene- 
rally, had  rendered  the  war  very  unpopular  in 
England. 

After  numerous  debates  upon  the  subject,  Ge- 
neral Conway,  on  the  29th  of  February,  1783, 
moved  in  the  House  of  Commons,  "  That  a  further 
prosecution  of  hostilities  against  the  colonies 
would  tend  to  increase  the  mutual  enmity  so  fatal 
to  the  interests  of  both  Great  Britain  and  Ame- 
rica." 

A  change  of  ministry  and  policy  soon  suc- 
ceeded. General  Sir  Guy  Carleton  was  ordered 
to  take  command  of  the  British  forces  in  America, 
and,  in  conjunction  with  Admiral  Digby,  was  ap- 
pointed to  negotiate  a  peace  with  the  American 
government. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  General  Leplie,  who  com- 
manded the  British  forces  in  the  southern  depart- 
ment, proposed  to  General  Greene  a  cessation  of 
hostilities ;  but  the  latter  declined  entering  into 
any  stipulation  of  the  kind  without  authority 
from  Congress.  It  was  understood,  however,  that 
measures  were  in  progress  for  withdrawing  the 
British  forces  from  America,  and  that  terms  of 


SAVANNAH   EVACUATED.  231 


peace  had  been  offered  by  Great  Britain  to  the 
American  commissioners  at  Paris. 

About  the  1st  of  July,  a  deputation  from  the 
merchants  of  Savannah  visited  General  Wayne, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  upon  what  terms 
British  subjects  might  be  permitted  to  remain  in 
the  city  after  it  should  be  evacuated  by  the  troops 
of  the  enemy. 

After  some  preliminary  difficulties  had  been 
overcome,  the  conduct  of  the  negotiation  on  the 
part  of  Georgia  was  intrusted  principally  to  Ma- 
jor John  Habersham,  and  on  the  llth  of  July, 
1783,  the  embarkation  of  the  British  troops  was 
commenced.  The  American  army  entered  and 
took  possession  of  the  city  the  same  day.  Be- 
tween the  12th  and  25th  of  the  same  month, 
twelve  hundred  British  regulars  and  loyalists, 
five  hundred  women  and  children,  three  hundred 
Indians,  and  five  thousand  negroes  sailed  from 
the  port  of  Savannah. 

The  metropolis  of  Georgia  had  been  three 
years,  six  months,  and  thirteen  days,  in  the  en- 
tire possession  of  the  enemy ;  and  at  several 
times,  the  whole  state  had  been  under  the  control 
of  the  British  government.  The  number  of  the 
disaffected  to  the  republican  government  appears, 
by  the  act  of  confiscation  and  banishment,  to 
have  amounted  to  two  hundred  and  eighty.  A 
considerable  number  of  them  were  afterward  re- 
stored to  the  rights  of  citizenship,  and  some  of 


232  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

them  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  property,  upon 
paying  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent,  upon  the 
amount  thus  restored ;  and  others  upon  paying 
eight  per  cent,  into  the  public  treasury. 

No  correct  estimate  can  be  made  of  the  im- 
mense losses  sustained  by  the  inhabitants  of  Geor- 
gia during  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  negroes 
and  other  property  which  was  carried  off ;  the 
houses,  plantations,  and  produce,  destroyed  by 
fire ;  the  loss  of  time,  by  constant  military  em- 
ployment ;  the  distressed  condition  of  widows, 
who  were  left  by  the  numerous  murders  com- 
mitted upon  the  heads  of  families,  and  killed  in 
the  field  of  battle, — seem  to  bid  defiance  to 
calculation.  If  the  inhabited  part  of  the  state, 
with  all  the  property  it  contained,  had  been 
valued  at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  half  of 
the  amount  would  probably  have  been  a  moderate 
estimate  of  the  loss. 

As  early  as  the  30th  of  November,  1782,  pro- 
visional articles  of  peace  were  entered  into  at 
Paris  between  the  American  commissioners  and 
the  commissioner  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain, 
but  the  definitive  treaties  between  England, 
France,  and  America,  were  not  finally  ratified 
until  the  3d  of  September,  1783. 

Thus  ended  the  terrible  but  glorious  war  of 
the  American  Revolution  ;  terrible  in  the  calami- 
ties which  it  brought  upon  a  patriotic  people, 
glorious  in  its  final  result.  Never  in  the  history 


CONDITION   OF  THE   COLONIES.  233 


of  the  world  did  an  appeal  to  arms  originate 
from  purer  motives,  or  entail  more  blessings 
upon  future  generations  by  the  success  which  fol- 
lowed it. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Condition  of  the  colonies  at  the  close  of  the  war — Re-organiza- 
tion of  the  Federal  government  proposed — Delegates  meet 
at  Annapolis — Recommend  a  convention  to  meet  at  Phila- 
delphia— Convention  meets — Number  of  states  represented 
• — Washington  elected  chairman — Rules  of  proceeding — The 
first  questions  considered,  ratio  of  representation,  and  rules 
of  voting — Contest  between  the  larger  and  smaller  states — • 
Vote  of  Georgia — The  executive — A  counter  project — Grand 
committee  of  conference — Proposition  of  Franklin — Rule  of 
appointment — Committee  of  detail — New  difficulties — Com- 
promises— Doubts  and  fears  respecting  the  constitution — 
Territorial  suit  between  Georgia  and  South  Carolina — Geor- 
gia called  upon  to  cede  her  public  lands — Congress  of  1790 
— Slavery  petitions. 

THE  long  and  bloody  struggle  against  British 
oppression  was  now  closed.  That  independence 
in  political  action,  for  which  the  colonies  had 
dared  and  suffered  so  much,  was  acknowledged 
and  confirmed.  They  were  henceforth,  in  the 
eyes  of  all  Europe,  free  and  sovereign  states.  But 
they  had  yet  many  difficulties  to  encounter.  They 
were  about  to  take  upon  themselves  a  form  of 
government,  the  permanence  of  which  all  pre- 
vious examples  had  shown  to  be  precarious  and 
uncertain.  In  addition  to  this  cause  for  reason- 
able doubt,  there  were  others  equally  calculated 


234  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


to  operate  injuriously  to  the  free  working  of  the 


The  war  was  indeed  over,  and  peace  once  more 
smiled  upon  the  land  ;  but  the  disruption  of  so- 
cial ties  during  a  prolonged  contest,  the  depressed 
condition  of  trade,  the  interruptions  which  com- 
merce had  so  long  experienced,  and  above  all, 
the  heavy  load  of  debt  by  which  the  nation  was 
encumbered,  rendered  the  experiment  of  self- 
government  not  merely  hazardous  in  the  extreme, 
but,  in  the  opinion  of  many  profound  thinkers, 
certain  to  end,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  years,  in 
the  entire  destruction  of  the  commonwealths. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  disenthralled  states 
showed  a  thoughtful  recognition  of  the  future. 
They  proposed  a  re-organization  of  the  federal 
government  with  powers  equal  to  the  importance 
of  its  functions. 

Delegates  from  six  states,  responding  to  the 
call  of  Virginia,  met  at  Annapolis  in  September, 
1786  ;  but  finding  their  number  so  few,  and  the 
powers  of  several  of  them  very  much  restricted, 
they  resolved  to  recommend  a  convention  of  dele- 
gates from  all  the  states,  to  meet  at  Philadelphia 
the  following  May,  to  consider  the  articles  of 
confederation,  and  to  propose  such  changes 
therein  as  might  render  them  adequate  to  the 
exigencies  of  -the  Union. 

The  proposal  was  transmitted  to  all  the  state 
legislatures,  and  was  presently  laid  before  Con- 


CONSTITUTIONAL   CONVENTION.  235 


gress.  At  first,  it  was  received  with  marked 
coolness  ;  but  circumstances  occurring  soon  after 
that  rendered  some  action  of  the  kind  imperatively 
necessary,  the  proposed  convention  was  sanctioned 
and  approved,  and  delegates  chosen  from  all  the 
states,  except  Rhode  Island  and  New  Hampshire. 

Although  the  14th  of  May  was  the  day  ap- 
pointed for  the  meeting  of  the  convention,  on 
the  25th  there  were  but  seven  states  represented. 

By  the  end  of  the  month,  however,  fifty  dele- 
gates from  eleven  states  were  present — men 
highly  distinguished  for  talents,  character,  prac- 
tical knowledge,  and  public  services. 

Of  this  convention  Washington  was  elected 
President.  The  rules  of  proceeding  adopted 
were  copied  chiefly  from  those  of  Congress. 
Each  state  was  to  have  one  vote ;  seven  states 
were  to  constitute  a  quorum ;  all  committees 
were  to  be  appointed  by  ballot,  and  the  debates 
to  be  conducted  with  closed  doors  and  under  the 
injunction  of  secrecy. 

The  first  questions  which  were  considered  re- 
lated to  the  ratio  of  representation  and  the  rule 
of  voting  in  the  national  legislature ;  whether  it 
should  be  by  state,  or  by  the  individual  members. 
The  small  states  desired  to  retain  that  equal  vote 
which,  under  the  confederation,  they  already 
possessed.  The  larger  states,  on  the  other  hand, 
were  firmly  resolved  to  secure  to  themselves, 
under  the  new  arrangement,  a  weight  propor- 


236  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 

tiopate  to  their  superior  wealth  and  numbers. 
Georgia,  afid  the -two  Carolinas,  anticipating  a 
^spsedy^mcrease  of  population,  voted  with  the 
larger  states,  and  representation  by  population 
was  thus  carried  by  a  majority  of  one  only. 

The  election  of  the  first  branch  of  the  national 
legislature  by  the  people  was  strongly  opposed 
by  Roger  Sherman  and  Elbridge  Gerry;  the 
latter  of  whom  said : — «  All  the  evils  we  expe- 
rience flow  from  excess  of  democracy.  The 
people  do  not  want  virtue,  but  are  the  dupes  of 
pretended  patriots.  In  Massachusetts,  they  are 
daily  misled  into  the  most  baleful  measures  and 
opinions.  He  had  been  too  republican  hereto- 
fore, but  had  been  taught  by  experience  the 
danger  of  a  levelling  spirit." 

In  reply  to  this,  Madison  and  others  argued 
that  no  republican  government  could  stand  with- 
out popular  confidence,  which  confidence  could 
only  be  secured  by  giving  to  the  people  one 
branch  of  the  legislature. 

In  this  opinion  the  delegates  from  Georgia^co- 
incided,  and  voted  for  the  resolution,  which  was 
successfully  carried,  in  opposition  to  the  neigh- 
bouring delegates  from  South  Carolina,  who 
thought  a  choice  by  the  people  impracticable  in 
a  scattered  population. 

The  election  of  senators  now  came  up,  and 
after  much  debate,  it  was  agreed  that  their  nomi- 
nation should  emanate  from  the  second  branch  of 


DEBATES  IN  THE  CONVENTION.     237 

the  state  legislatures ;  and  it  was  carried  by  a 
vote  of  six  states  to  five,  that  the  same  ratio  of 
representation  should  prevail  in  both  branches. 
When  the  question  arose,  "  Whether  the  execu- 
tive should  consist  of  one  person  or  several?"  it 
gave  rise  to  considerable  hesitancy  among  the 
members.  At  length,  James  Wilson,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, moved  that  it  be  composed  of  a  single 
person. 

After  an  animated  debate,  during  which  C. 
Pinckney,  of  South  Carolina,  denounce4-ttft4t-yjn 
the  executive  officer  as  thfi-  *cfoeitiia  of  monarchy-,  ' 
the  motion  was  carried rvj-eorpa  voting  in  the 
affirmative. 

-  The  mode  by  which  the  executive  should  be 
elected  was  next  discussed.  Wilson  proposed  at 
first,  doubtfully,  the  election  by  the  people ;  and, 
subsequently,  by  a  college  of  electors  chosen  by 
the  people :  Sherman  proposed  an  election  by 
the  national  legislature  ;  and  this  was  at  length 
acceded  to  as  part  of  the  plan. 

The  term  of  office  was  then  fixed,  after  con- 
siderable varying,  at  seven  years,  with  ineligi- 
bility  afterward.  The^£efrfgtar  members— =adiQ. 
preferred  three  years  with  re- eligibility— voting 
with  the  minority.  ~~ 

A  motion  to  allow  the  executive  a  modified 
veto  was  next  carried ;  making  a  vote  of  three- 
fourths  in  both  branches  necessary  to  pass  laws 
objected  to  by  the  executive. 


238  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


Considerable  excitement  having  arisen  from 
the  determination  of  the  larger  states  not  to  ad- 
mit an  equality  of  representation  in  the  second 
branch  of  the  legislature,  Paterson,  of  New 
Jersey,  brought  forward  a  counter  scheme. 

This  counter  project,  and  the  plan  just  re- 
ported to  the  house,  were  referred  to  a  new  com- 
mittee of  the  whole,  and  the  entire  question  of 
a  national  government,  or  not,  had  again  to  be 
gone  over. 

The  report  of  the  committee  of  the  whole  being 
now  taken  up,  each  article  of  the  plan  previously 
passed  was  separately  considered  anew;  many 
alterations  were  suggested,  and  several  were 
made. 

Two  difficulties,  however,  presented  them- 
selves, in  so  serious  an  aspect,  that  they  threat- 
ened to  result  in  the  breaking  up  of  the  conven- 
tion. 

The  first  of  these  arose  from  the  determination 
of  the  smaller  states  to  agree  to  no  plan  which 
did  not  concede  an  equality  of  representation  in 
the  second  branch  of  the  national  legislature. 

As  a  last  resource,  the  convention  appointed  a 
grand  committee  of  conference,  consisting  of  one 
member  from  each  state. 

In  this  committee,  the  proposition  of  Franklin, 
giving  to  the  first  branch  of  the  legislature  one 
representative  for  every  forty  thousand  persons, 
according  to  the  three-fifths  ratio,  with  the  sole 


DEBATES  IN  THE  CONVENTION.     239 


power  to  originate  money-bills  :  and  to  the  second 
branch,  an  equal  representation  by  the  states : 
was  reluctantly  acquiesced  in  by  the  larger  states, 
and  thus  this  vexatious  question  was  settled. 

The  rule  of  apportionment  was  another  diffi- 
culty. Paterson,  of  New  Jersey,  considered  a 
mere  reference  to  wealth  and  numbers  too  vague ; 
and  asked,  "if  negroes,  being  regarded  in  the 
light  of  property  in  the  states  to  which  they 
belong,  are  not  represented  in  those  states,  why 
should  they  be  represented  in  the  general  govern- 
ment ?" 

King  contended  for  a  compromise  between 
the  north  and  south,  and  argued  that  as  eleven 
of  the  thirteen  states  had  agreed  to  consider 
slaves  in  the  apportionment  of  taxation,  taxation 
and  representation  ought  to  go  together. 

Gouverneur  Morris  expressed  great  apprehen- 
sions of  the  new  states  to  be  formed  in  the  west ; 
and  proposed  to  leave  the  future  apportionment 
of  members  of  the  first  branch  to  the  discretion 
of  the  legislature.  Edmund  Randolph,  sup- 
ported by  Mason  and  Wilson,  objected  to  any 
such  arrangement,  as  it  would  put  the  majority 
into  the  power  of  the  minority.  The  former, 
therefore,  proposed  that  future  appointments 
should  be  regulated  by  a  periodical  census. 

Williamson,  of  Maryland,  moved,  as  a  substi- 
tute, to  reckon  in  this  census  the  whole  number 
of  freemen,  and  three-fifths  of  all  others.  Butler 


240  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

and  C.  Pinckney  insisted  that  all  the  slaves 
ought  to  be  counted.  Gerry  thought  three-fifths 
quite  enough.  Gouverneur  Morris  denounced  the 
three-fifths  clause  as  an  encouragement  to  the 
slave-trade,  and  an  injustice  to  human  nature. 

Wilson,  while  professing  his  ignorance  of  the 
principles  upon  which  the  admission  of  the  blacks 
could  be  explained,  acknowledged  the  existence 
of  difficulties  which  were  only  to  be  overcome  by 
a  spirit  of  compromise.  The  voting  now  com- 
menced. Butjer'sjaotion  tojiount  blacks  equally 
with^whites  was  rejected  r  Georgia  voting  in  tne 
affirmative. 

The  three-fifths  clause,  moved  by  Williamson, 
was  also  voted  down.  Kandolph's  periodical 
census  was  next  rejected.  The  question  then 
recurring  on  the  report  of  the  special  committee, 
authorizing  the  legislature  to  regulate  future  ap- 
portionments on  the  basis  of  wealth  and  numbers, 
Gouverneur  Morris  moved  a  preliminary  proviso, 
that  taxation  should  be  in  proportion  to  repre- 
sentation, which,  being  restricted  to  direct  taxa- 
tion, was  unanimously  agreed  to. 

Davie,  of  North  Carolina,  now  rose  and  de- 
clared, "  it  was  time  to  speak  out.  He  saw  that 
it  was  meant  by  some  gentlemen  to  deprive  the 
southern  states  of  any  share  of  representation 
for  their  blacks.  He  was  sure  North  Carolina 
would  never  confederate  on  any  terms  that  did 
not  rate  them  at  least  as  three-fifths.  If  the 


DEBATES  IN  THE  CONVENTION.     241 

eastern  states  meant  therefore  to  exclude  them 
altogether,  the  business  was  at  an  end." 

This  plain  speaking  brought  matters  to  a  crisis. 
After  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  restore  har- 
monious action  in  the  convention,  a  motion  was 
made  by  Randolph  to  adjourn  till  the  morrow ; 
"  to  devise,  (as  he  said,)  if  possible,  some  concilia- 
tory expedient ;  or,  in  case  the  small  states  con- 
tinued to  hold  back,  to  take  such  measures — what 
he  would  not  say — as  might  seem  necessary."  The 
adjournment  was  carried.  The  delegates  from 
the  larger  states  met  in  consultation,  but  nothing 
could  be  agreed  upon.  The  next  day  the  ques- 
tion was  set  at  rest  by  a  failure  of  the  motion  to 
reconsider,  and  the  convention  proceeded  to  take 
up  the  remaining  articles  of  the  report. 

The  provisions  respecting  the  national  legisla- 
ture having  thus  been  decided  upon,  the  conven- 
tion passed  to  the  articles  on  the  executive,  and 
after  two  warm  debates,  succeeded,  with  some 
few  modifications,  in  completing  them. 

In  the  articles  relating  to  the  judiciary,  no 
essential  change  was  made. 

The  amended  report  was  now  referred  to  a 
committee  of  detail,  which,  after  an  adjournment 
of  ten  days,  brought  in  their  report — a  rough 
sketch  of  the  constitution  as  it  now  stands. 

This  draft  gave  to  the  national  legislature  the 
name  of  Congress ;  the  first  branch  to  be  called 

the  House  of  Representatives ;  the  second  branch 
21 


242  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


the  Senate.  The  name  of  President  was  given  to 
the  executive. 

In  detailing  the  powers  of  Congress,  some  new 
provisions  had  been  introduced  by  the  committee, 
•which  were  the  occasion  of  exciting  considerable 
feeling  in  the  convention.  Those  subjects  which 
elicited  the  strongest  opposition  were  the  taxes 
on  exports,  the  regulation  of  commerce,  and  the 
importation  of  slaves. 

The^eastern  ship-owning  states  were  in  favour 
of  empowering  Congress  to  enact  navigation  laws. 
The  southern  states  dreaded  any  such  laws,  as 
likely  to  enhance  the  cost  of  transportation. 

The  prohibition  of  the  slave-trade  was  no  new 
idea.  The  Continental  Congress  had  long  before 
resolved  "  that  no  slave  be  imported  into  any  of 
the  United  States." 

Delaware,  Virginia,  and  Maryland,  and  all  the 
more  northern  states,  had  expressly  acquiesced 
in  the  prohibition.  Notwithstanding  this,  mer- 
chant vessels  belonging  to  the  northern  states 
continued  to  carry  on  the  traffic  elsewhere,  and 
already,  since  the  acknowledgment  of  independ- 
ence, some  New  England  ships  were  engaged  in 
transporting  slaves  from  Africa  into  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina ;  and  the  latter  expressed  them- 
selves determined  to  maintain,  not  the  institution 
of  slavery  only,  but  the  importation  of  slaves 
likewise. 

In  the  midst  of  this  conflict  of  interests,  a 


COMPROMISES.  243 


bargain  was  struck  between  the  commercial  re-r      s^ 
presentatives  of  the  northern  states  and  the  dele-V/ 
gates  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  by  which 
the  unrestricted   power   of  Congress   to   enact 
navigation  laws  was  conceded  to  the  northern 
merchants,  and  to  the  Carolina  rice-planters,  as 
an  equivalent,  twenty  years'  continuance  of  the 
slave-trade. 

This  was  the  third  great  compromise  of  the 
constitution.  The  other  two  were  the  conces- 
sion to  the  smaller  states  of  an  equal  representa- 
tion in  the  senate,  and  to  the  slaveholders  the 
counting  three-fifths  of  the  slaves  in  determining 
the  ratio  of  representation. 

After  some  few  other  amendments,  offered  with 
a  view  to  conciliate  conflicting  interests,  the  con- 
stitution as  reported  received  its  final  corrections 
and  the  sanction  of  the  convention. 

This  sanction  was  not  given  by  the  members 
of  the  convention  without  a  gloomy  presentiment 
that  its  numerous  imperfections  would  lead  to  the 
ruin  of  the  confederacy. 

Mason  declared  his  belief  that  the  proposed 
constitution  would  terminate  in  a  monarchy,  or  a 
tyrannical  aristocracy.  Randolph,  Mason,  and 
Gerry,  all  expressed  their  dissatisfaction  at  the 
extended  and  indefinite  powers  conferred  on 
Congress  and  the  executive.  Pinckney,  and 
other  southern  members,  on  the  contrary,  ob- 


244  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


jected  to  the  contemptible  -weakness  and  depend- 
ence of  the  executive. 

So  opposite  and  inharmonious  were  the  feel- 
ings of  the  members  in  relation  to  the  instru- 
ment, the  articles  of  which  they  had  examined 
.and  passed  clause  by  clause,  that  it  required  all 
the  address  of  Franklin  and  other  influential 
members,  to  gain  for  the  new  constitution  unani- 
mous signature. 

A  form  was  proposed  which  might  be  signed 
without  implying  personal  approval  of  the  con- 
stitution;  it. read  thus:  "Done  by  consent  of 
the  states  present.  In  testimony  whereof  we 
have  subscribed,  &c."  Hamilton,  though  opposed 
to  the  plan,  urged  the  infinite  misehief  that  might 
arise  from  refusing  to  sign  it.  Washington  also 
addressed  the  convention  in  its  favour.  These  ap- 
peals succeeded  with  some  of  the  dissatisfied  mem- 
bers, but  Randolph,  Mason,  and  Gerry  could 
not  be  prevailed  upon  to  subscribe  their  names. 

The  federal  constitution,  thus  laboriously  pro- 
duced, was  laid  before  Congress,  then  sitting  at 
New  York,  with  a  letter  from  its  framers  recom- 
mending its  reference,  for  approval  or  rejection, 
to  state  conventions,  to  be  called  by  the  state  legis- 
latures. Congress  hesitated  at  first  in  comply- 
ing with  this  request ;  but  finally,  on  September 
28th,  1787,  a  bill  was  passed,  transmitting  the 
document  to  the  state  legislatures,  to  be  acted 
upon  as  the  convention  had  suggested ;  and  in 


WESTERN  LANDS  CEDED.        245 


the  beginning  of  the  yea*-!  tflfi,  <n  waa  formally 
ratified  by  the  &t&tQ..&LQ£E£gi&i  _  _ 

During  the  latter  part  of  1787,  an  important 
territorial  suit  occurred  between  the  states  of 
Georgia  and  South  Carolina.  This  suit  origi- 
nated in  difficulties  relative  to  their  respective 
boundaries  toward  the  sources  of  the  Savannah, 
and  especially  as  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  terri- 
tory west  of  the  Alatamaha,  claimed  by  Carolina 
under  her  charter,  and  by  Georgia  under  the 
proclamation  of  1763,  which  annexed  to  Georgia 
the  territory  between  the  Alatamaha  and  the  St. 
Mary's.  It  was  finally  arrranged  by  mutual  con- 
sent, and  on  the  22d  of  April  the  settlement  was 
announced  to  Congress,  and  the  suit  discontinued. 

Georgia,  being  now  loudly  called  upon  for  the 
cession  of  her  western  claims,  offered  to  cede  all 
the  territory  west  of  the  Chattahoochee,  and 
between  the  thirty-first  and  thirty-second  paral- 
lels of  north  latitude  ;  but  demanded,  in  return, 
a  guarantee  of  the  remaining  territory  north  of 
the  thirty-second  parallel.  To  this,  Congress 
would  not  accede  ;  nor  would  it  accept  the  terri- 
tory offered,  unless  so  extended  as  to  include  all 
the  district  west  of  the  Chattahoochee.  After 
the  lapse  of  several  years,  a  cession  was  finally 
obtained  by  purchase,  and  on  conditions  very 
onerous  to  the  United  States. 

During  the  session  of  Congress  in  1790,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  agitation  as  to  the  public 
21* 


246  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


debt,  the  house  became  involved  in  another  dis- 
cussion, still  more  exciting,  in  reference  to  sla- 
very and  the  slave-trade. 

Slavery  still  existed  in  every  state  of  the 
Union,  except  Massachusetts.  In  the  latter  state 
it  had  been  abolished  a  few  years  previous ;  while 
Pennsylvania,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  and 
New  Hampshire,  had  introduced  a  system  of 
gradual  emancipation.  The  other  eight  states 
retained  their  old  colonial  systems. 

A  few  days  after  the  commencement  of  the 
debate  on  the  public  debt,  a  petition  from  the 
yearly  meeting  of  the  Quakers  of  Philadelphia, 
seconded  by  another  from  the  Quakers  of  New 
York,  had  been  laid  before  the  house,  in  which 
it  was  suggested  whether,  "  notwithstanding  seem- 
ing impediments,  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  Con- 
gress to  exercise  justice  and  mercy,  which  if  ad- 
hered to,  the  petitioners  did  not  doubt  would 
produce  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade." 

A  still  stronger  petition  was  laid  before  the 
house  the  next  day  from  the  Pennsylvania  Society 
for  the  Abolition  of  Slavery.  It  was  signed  by 
Franklin  as  president — one  of  the  last  public  acts 
of  his  long  and  diversified  career.  He  died  within 
a  few  weeks  afterward. 

This  memorial,  after  reasoning  upon  the  pro- 
positions "  that  all  mankind  are  formed  by  the 
same  Almighty  Being,"  and  "  that  equal  liberty 
was  originally  the  portion,  and  is  still  the  birth- 


ABOLITION    PETITIONS.  247 

right  of  all  men,"  concluded  by  praying  -Con- 
gress, "  to  step  to  the  very  verge  of  its  power 
for  discouraging  every  species  of  traffic  in  the 
persons  of  our  fellow  men." 

These  petitions  gave  rise  to  a  most  exciting 
series  of  debates.  Hartley  called  up  the  Quaker 
memorial,  and  moved  its  commitment.  Tucker 
and  Burke  opposed  it  on  the  ground  of  unconsti- 
tutionally; and  the  latter  expressed  himself 
certain  that  the  commitment  "  would  sound  an 
alarm,  and  blow  the  trumpet  of  sedition  through- 
out all  the  southern  states."  Scott  defended 
its  constitutionality,  but  acknowledged  the  in- 
capacity of  Congress  to  do  more  than  lay  a  tax ' 
of  ten  dollars  upon  the  head  of  every  slave  im- 
ported into  the  country.  Jackson  argued  from 
Bible  authority,  that  religion  and  slavery  were 
not  incompatible.  Sherman  could  see  no  diffi- 
culty in  committing  the  memorial,  and  trusted 
the  committee  would  be  able  to  bring  in  such  a 
report  as  would  satisfy  both  sides  of  the  house. 
Baldwin  regretted  the  introduction  of  petitions 
upon  so  delicate  a  subject.  He  referred  to  the 
difficulty  which  the  members  who  framed  the 
constitution  had  previously  experienced.  He 
reminded  the  house  that  the  constitution  had 
only  been  adopted  by  mutual  concessions,  and 
that  any  encroachment  beyond  its  strict  limits 
must  tend  to  unsettle  the  public  confidence.  He 
concluded  by  arguing  that,  as  the  petition  did  in 


248  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 

fact  pray  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade, 
the  house  had  nothing  more  to  do  with  it  than  it 
would  have  to  establish  an  order  of  nobility  or 
a  national  religion. 

Similar  ground  was  taken  by  Smith  of  South 
Carolina.  He  contended  that  the  unconstitution- 
ally of  the  object  prayed  for  was  a  sufficient 
reason  for  not  committing  the  memorial.  He  said 
further :  "  When  we  entered  into  a  political  con- 
nection with  the  other  states,  this  property  was 
there.  It  had  been  acquired  under  a  former  go- 
vernjasent,  conformably  to  the  laws  and  consti- 
/  tation ;  and  every  attempt  to  deprive  us  of  it 
must  be  in  the  nature  of  an  ex  post  facto  law,  and, 
as  such,  forbidden  by  our  political  compact." 

Madison,  Page,  and  Gerry  advocated  the  com- 
mitment. The  former  suggested  that,  "  Though 
Congress  were  restricted  by  the  constitution  from 
immediately  abolishing  the  slave-trade,  yet  there 
were  a  variety  of  ways  by  which  they  might 
countenance  the  abolition  of  that  trafic.  They 
might,  for  example,  respecting  the  introduction  of 
slaves  into  the  new  states  to  be  formed  out  of  the 
western  territory,  make  regulations  such  as  were 
beyond  their  power  in  relation  to  the  old  settled 
states ;  an  object  which  he  thought  well  worthy  of 
consideration." 

The  question  being  taken  by  yeas  and  nays, 
the  reference  was  carried,  forty-three  to  eleven. 
Of  these  eleven,  six  were  from  Georgia  and  Caro 


DISCUSSION   ON   SLAVERY.  249 

Una,  being  all  the  members  present  from  those 
two  states ;  two  were  from  Virginia,  two  from 
Maryland,  and  one  from  New  York. 

The  special  committee  to  whom  the  memorial 
was  referred  consisted  of  one  member  from  each 
of  the  following  states :  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia.  They  reported,  after 
a  month's  delay,  the  following  resolutions  : 

1st.  That  the  general  government  was  ex- 
pressly restrained  until  the  year  1808,  from  pro- 
hibiting the  importation  of  slaves. 

2d.  That  by  a  fair  construction  of  the  consti- 
tution, Congress  was  equally  restrained  from 
interfering  to  emancipate  slaves  within  the 
states. 

3d.  That  Congress  had  no  power  to  interfere 
in  the  internal  regulation  of  particular  states 
relative  to  the  physical  or  moral  well-being  of 
slaves,  or  to  the  seizure,  transportation,  and  sale 
of  free  negroes ;  but  entertained  the  fullest  con- 
fidence in  the  wisdom  and  humanity  of  the  state 
legislatures,  that,  from  time  to  time,  they  would 
revise  their  laws,  and  promote  these  and  all  other 
measures  tending  to  the  happiness  of  the  slaves. 

4th.  That  Congress  had  authority  to  levy  a  tax 
of  ten  dollars  upon  every  person  imported  under 
the  special  permission  of  any  of  the  states. 

5th.  That  Congress  had  power  to  interdict,  or 
to  regulate  the  African  slave-trade  so  far  as  it 


250  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 


might  be  carried  on  by  citizens  of  the  United 
States  for  the  supply  of  foreign  countries. 

6th.  That  Congress  had  a  right  to  prohibit 
foreigners  from  fitting  out  vessels  in  the  United 
States,  to  be  employed  in  the  supply  of  foreign 
countries  with  slaves  from  Africa. 

The  seventh,  and  last,  expressed  an  intention 
on  the  part  of  Congress  to  exercise  their  au- 
thority to  its  full  extent  to  promote  the  humane 
objects  aimed  at  in  the  memorial. 

Such  was  the  report  of  the  committee,  upon 
which  there  immediately  ensued  a  discussion  of 
six  days'  duration,  and  of  the  most  angry  and 
violent  character. 

The  final  conclusions  to  which  Congress  came 
upon  this  most  delicate  subject  are  embodied  in 
the  following  resolutions,  which  were  carried  by 
a  vote  of  twenty-nine  to  twenty-five. 

"  That  the  migration  or  importation  of  such 
persons  as  any  of  the  states  now  existing  shall 
think  proper  to  admit,  cannot  be  prohibited  by 
Congress  prior  to  the  year  1808. 

"That  Congress  have  no  authority  to  inter- 
fere in  the  emancipation  of  slaves,  or  in  the  treat- 
ment of  them  in  any  of  the  states,  it  remaining 
with  the  several  states  alone  to  provide  any  regu- 
lations therein  which  humanity  and  true  policy 
require. 

"  That  Congress  have  authority  to  restrain  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States  from  carrying  on 


RESOLUTIONS    ON   SLAVERY.  251 

the  African  slave-trade  for  the  purpose  of  sup- 
plying foreigners  with  slaves,  and  of  providing 
by  proper  regulations  for  the  humane  treatment, 
(luring  their  passage,  of  slaves  imported  by  the 
said  citizens  into  the  said  states  admitting  such 
importation. 

"  That  Congress  have  also  authority  to  pro- 
hibit foreigners  from  fitting  out  vessels  in  any 
port  of  the  United  States  for  transporting  per- 
sons from  Africa  to  any  foreign  port." 

A  clear  view  of  this  remarkable  discussion, 
together  with  the  results  arrived  at  by  the  Con- 
gress of  1790,  has  become  of  singular  importance 
at  this  time  from  the  many  attempts  which  have 
been  subsequently  made,  and  are  yet  apparently 
in  contemplation,  in  relation  to  this  vexed  ques- 
tion of  slavery. 

The  whole  course  of  the  debate  upon  this  ques- 
tion is  instructive,  and  shows  that  the  arguments 
which  have  been  used  in  later  days  are  by  no 
means  novel,  nor  have  they  acquired  any  new 
force  beyond  those  which  were  presented  at  the 
period  when  the  first  memorial  was  fully  and  ably 
discussed,  and  the  suggestions  growing  out  of  it 
so  pointedly  disposed  of. 


252  HISTORY  OP   GEORGIA. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Recapitulation  of  the  various  treaties  made  between  Georgia 
and  the  Indians — Oglethorpe's  treaty — Treaty  of  Augusta — 
Florida  restored  to  the  Spaniards — Frontier  war  commenced 
—Treaty  of  Galphinton — Treaty  of  Shoulderbone — Conti- 
nuation of  Indian  hostilities — Washington  appoints  commis- 
sioners to  treat  with  McGillivray — Romantic  history  of  the 
latter — Conference  at  Rock  Landing — Failure  of  negotiations 
— Colonel  Willett  sent  on  a  secret  mission — Interview  with 
McGillivray — Indian  council  at  Ositchy — Speech  of  the  Hol- 
lowing King — McGillivray  departs  for  New  York — His 
reception — Treaty  of  New  York — Its  reception  by  Georgia 
— Dissatisfaction  of  the  Creeks — Bowles  the  freebooter — 
McGillivray  in  Florida — Capture  of  Bowles. 

No  sooner  was  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  acknowledged  by  Great  Britain,  than  Geor- 
gia began  to  increase  both  in  wealth  and  popula- 
tion. She  had,  however,  many  sources  of  dis- 
quietude, some  of  which  were  of  an  alarming 
character.  To  enable  the  reader  the  better  to 
understand  what  follows,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
recapitulate  briefly,  the  previous  history  of  the 
negotiations  between  Georgia  and  the  Creeks  and 
Cherokees. 

The  first  boundaries  of  the  province,  as  con- 
ceded to  Oglethorpe  by  treaty,  were  confined  to 
a  narrow  strip  of  country  lying  between  the  Sa- 
Tannah  and  Ogechee  rivers.  By  the  subsequent 


INDIAN   TREATIES.  253 

treaty  of  1773,  these  boundaries  were  extended 
north  of  the  original  lines,  and  beyond  Broad 
River. 

By  another  treaty,  concluded  at  Augusta  on  the 
31st  of  May,  1783,  the  Cherokee  delegates  ceded 
to  Georgia  the  country  upon  the  western  side  of 
Tugalo,  including  the  head  waters  of  the  Oconee. 
To  this  cession,  a  few  Creeks  subscribed  their 
names  on  the  1st  of  November  of  the  same  year. 
A  very  large  majority  of  the  nation,  who  had 
always  been  adverse  to  the  sale  of  their  lands, 
denounced  the  act  in  the  strongest  terms,  and 
expressed  a  resolution  to  maintain  their  right  to 
the  soil. 

As  Georgia  persisted  in  asserting  her  sove- 
reignty over  the  territory  thus  acquired,  a  hostile 
feeling  was,  naturally  enough,  engendered  among 
the  Indians  of  those  towns  whose  delegates  were 
not  present  at  Augusta  when  the  treaty  was 
signed. 

In  addition  to  this  fruitful  source  of  future 
difficulty,  by  an  arrangement  entered  into  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  Spain,  in  the  early  part 
of  the  year  1783,  the  former  restored  to  the  latter 
her  old  province  of  Florida ;  and  by  this  means, 
Georgia  was  again  made  to  suffer  many  annoy- 
ances at  the  hands  of  her  ancient  neighbour  and 
enemy. 

In  1785,  the  dissatisfaction  between  the  Creeks 
and  Georgians  being  fomented  by  the  artifices  of 

22 


254  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 


the  Spaniards,  a  border  war  commenced,  which  the 
provisional  government,  then  struggling  through 
the  last  stages  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  sought 
to  close  peacefully  by  sending  commissioners  to 
treat  with  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees  for  the  pur- 
chase of  their  lands.  The  commissioners  thus 
appointed  invited  delegates  from  the  Indian  towns 
to  meet  them  at  Galphinton ;  but  as  only  the 
chiefs  from  two  towns,  with  fifty  warriors,  at- 
tended, the  object  of  the  mission  was  not  attained, 
and  the  commissioners  returned  home. 

They  had  no  sooner  left  the  appointed  place 
of  rendezvous,  than  three  commissioners — whom 
Georgia,  tenacious  of  her  rights,  had  despatched 
thither  to  protest  against  any  proceedings  on 
the  part  of  the  provisional  government — con- 
cluded a  treaty  with  the  Creeks  then  present, 
which  confirmed  not  only  the  treaty  of  1783,  but 
extended  the  territorial  limits  of  Georgia,  from 
the  junction  of  the  Oconee  and  Ocmulgee  to  the 
St.  Mary's  River. 

The  treaty  thus  made  was,  like  its  predecessor, 
indignantly  spurned  by  the  chiefs  of  ninety-eight 
towns  ;  who  denied  the  right  of  any  two  of  their 
country  to  make  a  cession  of  land  which  could 
only  be  valid  by  consent  of  the  whole  nation  as 
joint  proprietors  in  common. 

Numerous  collisions  between  the  Georgians  and 
the  Indians  succeeded.  At  length,  a  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  settling  existing  differences  was 


INDIAN   TKOUBLES.  255 

agreed  upon,  and  in  October,  1786,  commission- 
ers on  the  part  of  Georgia  met  a  delegation  of 
Creek  chiefs  and  warriors,  at  a  place  called 
Shoulderbone,  on  the  Oconee. 

Here  another  treaty  was  entered  into,  which 
the  Creeks  subsequently  asserted  was  wrung  from 
them  by  the  unexpected  presence  of  a  large  body 
of  armed  men  professing  hostile  intentions. 

This  charge  the  authorities  of  Georgia  most 
emphatically  denied.  They  contended  that  all 
the  grants  were  procured  fairly  and  honourably, 
and  without  either  force  or  coercion ;  that  the 
upper  Creeks,  who  never  occupied  the  Oconee 
lands,  had  no  right  to  a  voice  in  the  matter. 
They  admitted  that  armed  troops  were  present  at 
the  treaty  of  Shoulderbone, — not,  however,  to 
provoke  hostilities,  but  to  suppress  them  if  they 
arose. 

Incursions  and  retaliations  of  course  continued. 
Congress  several  times  sought  to  interpose,  but 
the  Creeks  would  listen  to  no  overtures  until  the 
Georgians  were  first  removed  from  the  Oconee 
lands. 

In  an  earnest  endeavour  to  put  an  end  to 
this  state  of  things,  General  Washington — who 
was  now  president — appointed  four  commission- 
ers to  treat  with  the  celebrated  Creek  chief,  Alex- 
ander McGillivray.  This  extraordinary  man  was 
the  son  of  Lachlan  McGillivray,  an  enterprising 
Scotsman  of  good  family,  trading  among  the  In- 


256  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

dians,  and  of  Sehoy  Marchand,  a  beautiful  half- 
breed  Creek  girl,  whose  mother  was  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Wind,  the  most  powerful  and  influential 
family  in  the  Creek  nation.  The  advantages  in 
the  way  of  commercial  facilities  which  this  mar- 
riage gave  to  the  elder  McGillivray,  enabled  him 
to  rapidly  accumulate  a  large  fortune.  Besides 
plantations  and  negroes  upon  the  Savannah 
River,  Lachlan  McGillivray  soon  became  the 
owner  of  stores  filled  with  Indian  merchandise, 
in  the  towns  of  Savannah  and  Augusta. 

When  his  son  Alexander  had  reached  the  age 
of  fourteen  years,  he  withdrew  him,  with  the  con- 
sent of  his  mother,  from  the  Creek  nation,  in  the 
midst  of  which  he  had  hitherto  resided,  and  placed 
him  in  a  school  at  Charleston ;  from  whence,  on 
the  completion  of  his  studies,  he  was  transferred 
to  a  counting-room  in  Savannah.  But  a  mercan- 
tile life  was  soon  discovered  to  be  unfitted  for  a 
youth  of  Alexander  McGillivray's  studious  and 
retiring  disposition ;  and  he  was  sent  back  to 
Charleston,  to  acquire,  under  the  teaching  of  a 
clergyman  of  that  city,  a  knowledge  of  the  Greek 
and  Latin  languages. 

As  he  grew  up  to  manhood,  the  remembrance  of 
his  youthful  forest  haunts ;  the  sports  and  games 
of  the  tribe  to  which  he  was  allied  by  blood ;  the 
faces  of  the  dusky  warriors,  who  regarded  him  as 
their  future  chief ;  and  the  mother  and  sister  who 
still  resided  on  the  banks  of  the  Coosa,  proved 


ALEXANDER   McGILLIVRAY.  257 


stronger  than  the  ties  which  civilized  society  had 
thrown  around  him.  With  the  old  wild-woods 
feeling  stirring  his  heart,  he  turned  his  back  upon 
the  settlements  of  the  whites,  and  rejoined  the 
warriors  who  had  cherished  his  childish  years  in 
the  midst  of  their  sylvan  recesses. 

His  return  was  warmly  welcomed.  Crafty, 
sagacious,  enterprising,  and  well  educated,  he  was 
gradually  enabled  so  to  extend  his  influence  over 
the  Creek  and  Cherokee  nations,  that  in  a  few 
years  he  was  invested  with  the  supreme  authority, 
to  which  he  was  entitled  by  his  birth,  according  to 
the  Indian  custom. 

.  When  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out,  Alex- 
ander McGillivray  received  the  rank  and  pay  of 
a  colonel  in  the  British  service,  and  during  the 
whole  of  that  eventful  period  remained,  like  his 
father,  a  firm  and  devoted  loyalist ;  often  acting 
in  concert  with  McGirth  and  his  Florida  rangers, 
in  harassing  the  frontiers  of  Georgia. 

As  the  war  drew  to  a  close,  the  British  were 
compelled  to  evacuate  Savannah,  taking  with 
them  many  active  and  influential  loyalists,  among 
whom  was  Lachlan  McGillivray.  Having  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  together  a  considerable  portion 
of  his  wealth,  the  elder  McGillivray  returned  to 
his  own  country,  entertaining  the  hope  that  in 
his  absence  his  wife  and  family,  then  living  in 
the  Creek  nation,  might  be  suffered  to  take 
peaceable  possession  of  the  plantations  and  ne- 

22* 


258  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


groes  he  had  abandoned.  The  confiscation  of  the 
property  of  fugitive  loyalists  soon  after,  not  only 
frustrated  the  hopes  of  McGillivray,  but  com- 
pelled his  wife  and  daughters  to  remain  at  their 
old  home  on  the  Coosa. 

Colonel  McGillivray,  the  son, — who  had  some 
time  before  this  become  the  principal  chief  of  the 
Creek  and  Cherokee  nations, — finding  himself 
thus  deprived,  at  one  blow,  of  British  protection 
and  the  estates  previously  owned  by  his  father, 
threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  Spain,  with  whose 
authorities  in  Florida  he  formed,  on  behalf  of  his 
nation,  a  treaty  of  alliance. 

The  chief  reasons  which  induced  him  to  court 
this  alliance  arose  from  his  apprehensions  of  the 
Americans,  who,  as  he  contended,  had  confiscated 
his  estates,  banished  his  father,  threatened  him 
with  death,  and  were  constantly  encroaching  upon 
the  Creek  soil.  The  Spaniards  wanted  no  lands, 
desired  only  his  friendship,  and  had  not  en- 
croached upon  him  or  his  people.  Besides,  they 
were  the  first  to  offer  him  promotion  and  commer- 
cial advantages.  When  he  had  signed  the  treaty, 
they  made  him  a  Spanish  commissary,  with  the 
rank  and  pay  of  a  colonel. 

The  commissioners  appointed  by  Washington, 
reached  Rock  Landing  on  the  Oconee  about  the 
middle  of  September,  1789,  where  they  found 
McGillivray,  who,  at  the  head  of  two  thousand 
warriors,  had  been  encamped  on  the  eastern  bank 


NEGOTIATIONS   WITH   THE   CREEKS.         259 


of  the  river  for  more  than  a  week.  The  commis- 
sioners pitched  their  camp  on  the  western  bank. 

For  several  days  the  prospect  of  attaining  the 
object  the  commissioners  had  in  view  seemed  pe- 
culiarly favourable.  They  had  several  private 
conferences  with  McGillivray,  by  whom  they  were 
received  with  great  courtesy  and  politeness.  The 
chiefs,  also,  whom  they  visited  previous  to  open- 
ing more  formal  negotiations,  appeared  to  be 
animated  with  the  most  friendly  spirit.  All  the 
indications  promised  to  result  in  a  treaty  satisfac- 
tory to  both  parties. 

On  the  24th,  negotiations  were  commenced, 
and  a  copy  of  the  proposed  treaty  read  to  the 
Indians.  It  stipulated  that  the  boundaries  de- 
fined by  the  former  treaties  entered  into  between 
the  Creeks  and  Georgians  should  remain  un- 
changed ;  that  the  United  States  would  guarantee 
the  territory  west  of  those  boundaries  to  the 
Creeks  for  ever ;  that  a  free  trade  should  be  es- 
tablished with  the  Indians  from  ports  upon  the 
Alatamaha,  through  which  they  could  import  and 
export,  upon  the  same  terms  as  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States ;  and  that  all  negroes,  horses, 
goods,  and  American  citizens  taken  by  the  In- 
dians, should  be  restored. 

It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  to  this  day,  how  in- 
telligent commissioners  could  have  supposed  that 
a  treaty,  which  took  so  much  from  the  Indians, 
and  granted  so  little  in  return,  would  be  accept- 


260  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

able  either  to  McGillivray  or  to  the  chieftains 
under  his  control. 

Andrew  Pickens  did  indeed  remonstrate.  He 
well  knew  that  the  lands  on  the  Oconee,  which 
the  Georgians  were  already  cultivating,  would 
never  be  suffered  to  remain  peaceably  in  the 
possession  of  the  latter,  unless  some  compensation 
was  made  to  the  Indians. 

The  result  justified  his  sagacity.  After  the 
commissioners  had  recrossed  the  river  to  their 
own  camp,  McGillivray  and  his  chiefs  met  in 
grand  council.  The  next  morning  the  commis- 
sioners were  informed  by  a  letter  from  McGilli- 
vray, that  the  terms  which  had  been  proposed 
were  unsatisfactory,  and  that  the  Indians  had 
resolved  to  break  up  their  camp  and  return  home. 

The  commissioners,  startled  by  so  abrupt  a 
conclusion  to  their  negotiations,  now  saw  at  once 
the  whole  folly  of  their  course.  They  sought 
every  means  to  induce  McGillivray  to  remain, 
and  begged  him  to  state  his  grounds  of  objection 
to  the  draft  of  the  treaty.  But  he  broke  up  his 
encampment,  and  falling  back  upon  the  Ockmul- 
gee,  wrote  from  thence  a  letter  to  the  commis- 
sioners, in  which  he  stated  that  finding  a  restitu- 
tion of  territory  and  hunting-grounds  was  not  to 
be  the  basis  of  a  treaty  between  them,  he  had 
resolved  to  return  to  the  nation  and  defer  all 
further  treaty  until  the  next  spring. 

The  commissioners,  thus  baffled,  returned  to 


NEGOTIATIONS.  261 


Augusta,  and  obtained  from  Governor  Walton  a 
statement  of  the  various  negotiations  between  the 
Georgians  and  the  Creeks,  together  with  a  list 
of  the  citizens  who  had  been  killed,  and  of  the 
property  stolen  during  the  recent  hostilities. 

The  answers  of  Governor  Walton  placed  mat- 
ters in  so  very  different  a  light,  both  as  regarded 
the  fair  and  open  manner  in  which  the  treaties 
with  the  Indians  had  been  made,  and  the  great 
injuries  sustained  by  their  pitiless  depredations, 
that,  basing  their  report  upon  the  evidence  laid 
before  them,  the  commissioners  expressed  an 
opinion  favourable  to  the  three  treaties  made  by 
Georgia,  and  Washington,  urged  by  the  demands 
of  the  Georgia  delegation  in  Congress,  was  at 
first  inclined  to  embark  in  a  war  against  the  In- 
dian confederacy. 

More  prudent  counsels,  however,  prevailed. 
It  was  found  that  the  expenses  of  such  a  war  as 
would  be  necessary  to  bring  the  Creeks  to  terms 
would  not  be  less  than  fifteen  millions  of  dollars ; 
and  it  was  reasonably  feared  that  the  general 
government  would  not  be  able  to  sustain  so  large 
an  outlay  while  it  was  struggling  with  difficulty 
under  the  debts  incurred  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution. 

At  length  a  secret  negotiation  was  determined 
on.  Colonel  Willett  was  selected  by  Washington 
as  the  agent  to  visit  the  Creek  nation  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route,  and  endeavour  to  persuade  McGil- 


262  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


livray  to  return  with  him  to  New  York,  which 
yet  remained  the  seat  of  the  federal  government. 

In  this  mission  Willett  was  eminently  success- 
ful. On  the  13th  of  April,  1790,  he  reached  the 
residence  of  General  Pickens,  on  the  Seneca 
River.  Having  explained  to  the  latter  the  ob- 
ject of  his  journey,  he  was  immediately  furnished 
with  letters  to  various  chiefs  and  traders  within 
the  nation,  hy  whom  he  was  received  and  enter- 
tained with  a  generous  warmth  and  hospitality, 
which  contrasted  strangely  with  the  consciousness 
that  the  country  through  which  he  was  passing 
was  the  constant  scene  of  murder  and  rohbery. 
After  a  journey  of  ten  days  through  the  Chero- 
kee country,  Colonel  Willett  arrived  at  the  house 
of  a  wealthy  trader,  by  the  name  of  Scott.  This 
place  was  the  first  Creek  settlement  to  which  he 
had  penetrated.  Learning  that  McGillivray  was 
then  on  a  visit  to  Ocfuske,  on  the  Tallapoosa 
River,  Colonel  Willett  resolved  to  continue  his 
journey,  and  at  length  came  up  with  the  Creek 
chief,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Graison,  in  the  Hil- 
labees. 

When  the  letter  from  General  Washington  had 
"been  received  and  read  by  McGillivray,  he  de- 
tained Willett  at  Graison's  for  two  days,  during 
which  time  various  conversations  passed  between 
the  agent  and  McGillivray,  which,  without  doubt, 
influenced  the  subsequent  action  of  the  latter. 

Leaving  Graison's,  the  party,  accompanied  by 


THE   HOLLOWING   KING.  263 


McGillivray  and  his  servant,  arrived  on  the  4th 
of  May  at  the  Hickory  ground — a  portion  of 
the  Creek  territory,  which  the  Indians  considered 
holy — where  there  was  a  large  town,  and  in  it 
one  of  the  residences  of  the  chief. 

From  this  place  McGillivray  issued  his  sum- 
mons to  the  chiefs  of  the  lower  towns,  to  meet 
him  at  Ositchey  on  the  17th  of  May,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  consulting  on  public  business. 

The  assembly  met  at  the  place  appointed,  and 
when  Colonel  Willett  had  delivered  an  address 
inviting  them  to  the  council-house  at  New  York, 
where  General  Washington  desired  with  his  own 
hand  to  sign  with  Colonel  McGillivray  a  treaty 
of  peace  and  alliance,  and  offering  many  other 
inducements  for  the  chiefs  present  to  embrace 
the  opportunity,  he  retired,  leaving  them  to  de- 
liberate upon  his  overtures. 

In  about  an  hour  after,  Colonel  Willett  was 
again  called  in,  when  the  Hollowing  King  ad- 
dressed him  in  the  following  speech : 

"  We  are  glad  to  see  you.  You  have  come  a 
great  way,  and  as  soon  as  we  fixed  our  eyes  upon 
you  we  were  made  glad.  We  are  poor,  and  have 
not  the  knowledge  of  the  white  people.  We 
were  invited  to  the  treaty  at  the  Rock  Landing. 
We  went  there.  Nothing  was  done.  We  were 
disappointed,  and  came  back  with  sorrow.  The 
road  to  your  great  council-house  is  long,  and  the 
weather  is  hot ;  but  our  beloved  chief  shall  go 


264  HISTORY    OF   GEORGIA. 


with  you,  and  such  others  as  we  may  appoint. 
We  will  agree  to  all  things  which  our  heloved 
chief  shall  do.  We  will  count  the  time  he  is 
away,  and  when  he  comes  back,  we  shall  all  be 
glad  to  see  him  with  a  treaty  that  shall  be  as 
strong  as  the  hills  and  lasting  as  the  rivers. 
May  you  be  preserved  from  every  evil." 

The  voice  of  the  upper  Creeks  expressing 
sentiments  similar  to  those  of  the  lower,  no  time 
was  lost  in  arranging  for  the  departure  of  the 
deputation. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  Colonel  McGillivray,  with 
his  nephew  and  two  servants,  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Willett,  set  out  from  Little  Tallasse  for 
New  York.  They  were  all  mounted  on  horse- 
back, and  attended  by  pack-horses.  At  the 
Stone  Mountain,  the  Coweta  and  Cusseta  chiefs 
joined  them  ;  and  at  the  house  of  General  Pick- 
ens,  they  were  met  by  the  Tallasse  King,  Chin- 
nobe,  the  "great  Natchez  warrior,"  and  several 
other  chiefs.  The  deputation  being  complete, 
twenty-six  warriors  started  for  New  York  in  three 
wagons,  and  four  others  on  horseback.  Colonel 
McGillivray  and  his  suite  were  mounted,  the 
agent  riding  in  a  sulky. 

Taking  the  route  by  way  of  Guildford,  North 
Carolina,  the  party  passed  through  Richmond 
and  Fredericksburg,  and  arrived  at  Philadelphia, 
on  the  17th  of  July ;  having  been  received  every- 


CHEEK   EMBASSY  IN  NEW  YOKE.          265 

where  on  their  journey  with  marked  kindness 
and  attention. 

Sailing  thence  to  New  York,  the  chiefs  were 
recived  by  the  Tammany  Society  of  that  city  in 
the  full  Indian  dress  of  their  order,  were  marched 
in  full  procession  up  Wall  street,  past  the  Federal 
Hall,  where  Congress  was  then  in  session,  and 
from  thence  to  the  house  of  General  Washington, 
to  whom  they  were  introduced  with  much  pomp 
and  ceremony. 

The  St.  Tammany  Society  next  entertained 
the  chiefs  at  a  public  dinner.  As  being  the  son 
of  a  Scotsman,  McGillivray  was  chosen  an  hono- 
rary member  of  the  St.  Andrew's  Society. 

Spain  now  began  to  feel  uneasy.  The  au- 
thorities in  Florida  and.  Louisiana  no  sooner 
learned  that  McGillivray  had  departed  for 
New  York,  than  the  governor-general  at  Ha- 
vana was  notified  of  the  circumstance.  After 
some  correspondence  upon  the  subject,  an  agent 
was  sent  from  East  Florida  with  a  large  sum  of 
money,  ostensibly  to  purchase  flour,  but  in  reality 
to  embarrass  the  negotiations  with  the  Creeks. 
Washington,  apprized  of  the  presence  of  this 
officer,  had  his  movements  so  closely  watched 
that  the  object  of  his  mission  was  defeated. 

Having  first  advised  with  the  senate  as  to  the 
terms  of  an  arrangement,  Washington  appointed 
Henry  Knox  to  negotiate  with  McGillivray  and 
the  chiefs,  and  a  treaty  having  been  concluded, 

23 


266  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 

it  was  solemnly  ratified  the  day  after  the  adjourn- 
ment of  Congress. 

By  this  treaty,  all  the  lands  south  and  west  of 
the  Oconee, — including  the  tract  recently  claimed 
and  partly  occupied  by  Georgia, — were  solemnly 
guaranteed  to  the  Creeks ;  the  latter  resigning 
all  pretensions  to  any  lands  north  and  east  of 
that  river,  and  acknowledging  themselves  to  be 
under  the  sole  protection  of  the  United  States. 

As  an  inducement  to  the  Indians  to  come  into 
this  arrangement,  and  to  secure  their  fidelity,  it 
was  provided  that  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars should  be  paid  annually  to  the  Creek  nation  ; 
while  by  a  secret  article  agreed  upon  between 
McGillivray  and  Washington,  annuities  of  one 
hundred  dollars  were  to  be  paid  to  each  of  the 
principal  chiefs,  and  to  McGillivray,  as  agent  of 
the  United  States,  the  sum  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars  per  annum,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier- 
general. 

That  provision  in  the  treaty  of  New  York,  by 
which  the  United  States  guaranteed  to  the  In- 
dians the  possession  of  the  Oconee  lands,  created 
an  intense  excitement  in  Georgia.  An  associa- 
tion was  formed  for  settling  the  lands  in  defiance 
of  the  treaty  ;  but  the  fire  of  resistance  gradually 
burned  itself  out.  The  legislature  of  the  state 
severely  criticised  the  articles  of  the  treaty,  but 
recognised  its  validity,  and  pledged  the  faith  of 
the  state  to  support  it. 


BOWLES    THE    FKEEBOOTER.  267 


On  the  other  hand,  the  Creeks  themselves  were 
far  from  satisfied,  and  instigated,  by  one  Bowles, 
a  noted  freebooter,  who  aspired  to  rival  McGil- 
livray in  the  affections  of  the  Indians,  the  in- 
fluence of  the  great  chief  appeared  for  some  time 
to  be  gradually  on  the  wane. 

McGillivray,  however,  was  not  idle.  Knowing 
that  his  treaty  with  the  United  States  could  not 
be  otherwise  than  most  distasteful  to  the  Spanish 
authorities  in  Louisiana  and  Florida,  he  quitted 
the  nation  and  descended  to  New  Orleans,  leav- 
ing Bowles  and  his  emissaries  to  exult  in  the  be- 
lief that  he  would  never  dare  to  show  his  face 
upon  the  Coosa  again.  But  the  rejoicing  of  the 
freebooter  did  not  last  long.  His  piratical  seizure 
of  vessels  trading  under  the  protection  of  the 
Spanish  flag  soon  brought  him  under  the  notice 
of  that  nation,  which  .  only  waited  a  favourable 
opportunity  for  his  capture. 

In  the  mean  time,  McGillivray,  who  was  visit- 
ing Pensacola,  Mobile,  and  New  Orleans,  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  himself  in  as  great  favour 
as  ever  with  the  Spanish  authorities.  Here  he 
arranged  for  the  capture  of  Bowles,  who  was 
shortly  afterward  brought  to  New  Orleans  in 
chains,  and  sent  from  thence  a  prisoner  to  Spain  ; 
while  McGillivray,  returning  to  the  banks  of  the 
Coosa,  was  speedily  restored  to  the  affections  of 
his  nation,  and  the  full  exercise  of  his  former 
power. 


268  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


'  7 
CHAPTER  ±XIII. 

New  Constitution  adopted — Synopsis — Indian  territory — Specu- 
lations in  wild  land — Combined  Society — Yazoo  companies 
— Sale  of  Yazoo  lands — Sale  annulled — Seat  of  government 
removed  to  Louisville — Education — University  of  Georgia 
— Congress  passes  the  fugitive  slave  law — Liability  of  states 
to  individuals — Land  speculations — Fraudulent  sale  by  the 
legislature  of  Yazoo  lands — Sale  ratified  by  Congress — Great 
excitement  in  Georgia — Yazoo  land  sales  repudiated — Records 
burned — Difficulties  in  relation  to  the  Yazoo  sales — Congress 
appoints  commissioners  to  negotiate  for  the  public  territory 
of  Georgia — Compact  entered  into — Report  of  commissioners 
concerning  the  Yazoo  claims — Randolph's  resolutions. 

THE  old  constitution  of  Georgia  being  neither 
suited  to  the  wants  of  the  people  nor  the  progres- 
sive spirit  of  the  age,  a  convention  was  called  for 
the  purpose  of  framing  a  .constitution  better  cal- 
culated to  promote  the  interests  of  an  independent 
state. 

This  convention  met  in  1789,  and  was  in  session 
simultaneously  with  the  first  session  of  Congress. 
Taking  the  Federal  Constitution  in  some  respects 
as  a  model,  the  legislative  power,  instead  of  being 
vested,  as  before,  in  a  single  assembly,  was  under 
the  new  instrument  to  be  exercised  jointly  by  a 
senate  and  house  of  representatives  :  the  senators 
to  be  chosen  for  three  years,  one  by  each  of  the 
eleven  counties.  They  were  required  to  be  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age,  and  to  be  qualified,  like  the 


NEW   CONSTITUTION   ADOPTED.  269 

representatives  under  the  first  constitution,  by 
the  possession  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land,  or  other  property  to  the  value  of  twelve 
hundred  dollars.  The  qualification  of  members 
of  the  house,  which  body  was  to  consist  of  thirty- 
five  members,  was  the  possession  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  land,  or  other  property  to  the  value  of 
seven  hundred  dollars. 

No  clergyman  could  be  a  member  of  either 
house.  The  test  of  Protestantism,  required  by 
the  first  constitution,  was  dispensed  with.  The 
elective  franchise  was  extended  to  all  male  tax- 
paying  freemen,  the  former  property  qualification 
being  dropped. 

The  governor  was  to  be  chosen  biennially ;  the 
house  to  nominate  three  persons  as  candidates, 
one  of  whom  the  senate  was  to  select ;  the  candi- 
dates to  be  thirty  years  of  age,  the  owners  of  five 
hundred  acres  of  land  within  the  state,  and  of 
other  property  to  the  value  of  four  thousand  four 
hundred  and  forty-four  dollars  and  forty-four 
cents. 

The  powers  of  the  governor  were  considerably 
enlarged.  He  was  to  have  the  pardoning  power, 
except  in  cases  of  treason ;  the  appointment  of 
all  militia  officers,  and  a  veto  on  all  laws  not  re- 
passed  by  a  two-thirds  vote. 

The  judges  and  other  civil  officers  were  to  be 
chosen  by  the  assembly  in  the  same  way  with  the 
governor ;  the  judges  for  three  years.  The  same 

23* 


270  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


system  of  county  courts  was  continued  as  before, 
to  be  held  by  the  chief-justice  of  the  state,  assisted 
by  three  local  judges  for  each  county ;  but  the 
assembly  was  authorized  to  constitute  out  of  these 
judges  a  court  of  errors  and  appeals,  empowered 
to  grant  new  trials. 

This  constitution,  like  the  old  one,  prohibited 
entails,  and  provided,  when  there  was  no  will,  for 
an  equal  distribution  of  all  estates,  landed  as  well 
as  personal,  among  all  the  children. 

All  persons  were  to  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of 
religion,  without  being  obliged  to  contribute  to  the 
support  of  any  religious  profession  but  their  own. 

Georgia  was  rapidly  increasing  in  population, 
and  as  further  constitutional  changes  might  soon 
become  necessary,  it  was  provided  that  a  conven- 
tion of  three  persons  from  each  county  should 
meet  for  that  purpose  at  the  end  of  five  years. 

The  part  of  Georgia  to  which,  at  this  time,  the 
Indian  title  had  been  extinguished,  and  which  had 
begun  to  be  occupied  by  settlers,  was  limited  to 
a  tract  along  the  Savannah  a  considerable  dis- 
tance above  Augusta,  and  extending  westward 
to  the  Alatamaha,  and  its  eastern  branch  the 
Oconee. 

The  Indians  had  also  ceded  the  sea-coast  be- 
tween the  Alatamaha  and  the  St.  Mary's,  but 
this  tract  was  almost  destitute  of  inhabitants. 
By  far  the  larger  part  of  what  now  constitutes 
the  state  was  in  possession  of  the  Creeks  and 


THE   COMBINED   SOCIETY.  271 


Cherokees.  The  Georgians,  however,  claimed  in 
sovereignty,  with  exclusive  right  of  pre-emption 
from  the  Indians,  not  only  the  whole  of  the  pre- 
sent state,  but  also  the  district  west  of  the  Chat- 
tahoochee,  out  of  which  the  two  states  of  Alabama 
and  Mississippi  have  since  been  formed. 

The  closing  of  the  Revolutionary  war  involving 
the  older  states  in  great  pecuniary  embarrass- 
ments, led  many  persons,  who  desired  to  avoid 
the  heavy  taxation  which  was  the  consequence, 
to  migrate  in  search  of  new  lands.  An  extraor- 
dinary spirit  of  land  speculation  was  the  natural 
result. 

Some  ambitious  spirits,  looking  to  the  western 
and  southwestern  territory,  as  offering  an  oppor- 
tunity for  acquiring  immense  wealth  and  noble 
domains,  formed  an  association  under  the  name 
of  the  "  Combined  Society,"  and  exacted  from 
every  individual  connected  with  it  an  oath  of 
secrecy  as  to  their  plans  and  movements. 

This  society  was  composed  of  many  persons 
occupying  high  stations  in  civil  life,  who  were 
influenced  by  the  love  of  personal  aggrandize- 
ment rather  than  by  sentiments  of  pure  patriot- 
ism, and  of  soldiers  connected  with  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  who  had  fought  against  the  British 
arms  more  from  a  desire  for  an  oligarchy  in 
America,  than  to  throw  off  a  foreign  yoke.  The 
secrets,  however,  of  this  dangerous  combination 
becoming  known,  and  the  intentions  of  the  mem- 


272  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


bers  deservedly  stigmatized,  the  society  was  dis- 
banded. 

In  the  year  1789,  a  notorious  swindler,  calling 
himself  Thomas  Washington,  but  whose  real 
name  was  Walsh,  set  on  foot  a  speculation  in 
public  lands,  which  was  subsequently  known  as 
the  Yazoo  fraud. 

This  man  associated  himself  with  others,  and, 
instigated  by  the  descriptions  of  one  Sullivan, 
formerly  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  army, 
and  who  had  been  compelled  to  fly  to  the  Missis- 
sippi for  his  life,  persuaded  the  Virginia  Yazoo 
Company  to  apply  to  the  new  legislature  of  Geor- 
gia for  permission  to  purchase  an  extensive  tract 
of  wild  land  beyond  the  Chattahoochee.  The 
South  Carolina  and  the  Tennessee  Yazoo  Com- 
panies made  application  at  the  same  time,  and 
for  the  same  purpose.  All  three  of  the  appli- 
cants were  successful.  The  legislature  agreed  to 
sell  out  the  pre-emption  right  of  seven  millions 
of  acres  to  the  Virginia  Yazoo  Company,  for 
ninety-three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
two  dollars ;  five  millions  of  acres  to  the  Carolina 
Yazoo  Company,  for  sixty-six  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  dollars ;  and  three  and  a 
half  millions  of  acres  to  the  Tennessee  Yazoo 
Company,  for  forty-six  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars. 

It  was  one  of  the  conditions  of  sale  that  the 
money  should  be  paid  within  two  years ;  but  as 


PROMOTION  OF  EDUCATION.       273 

the  companies  insisted  upon  paying,  not  in  cash, 
but  in  depreciated  Georgia  paper,  a  succeeding 
legislature  took  advantage  of  that  circumstance 
to  declare  the  bargain  at  an  end.  All  the  pur- 
chasers did  not  assent  to  this  view ;  but  the  con- 
troversy on  this  subject  was  soon  overshadowed 
by  another,  which  sprang  up  a  few  years  later, 
growing  out  of  another  sale  of  these  same  lands 
to  other  companies. 

The  new  legislature  fixed  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment at  Louisville,  a  new  town  west  of  Augusta, 
and  pretty  nearly  a  central  point  to  the  then 
inhabited  territory. 

As  early  as  the  year  1784,  an  attempt  was 
made  to  promote  the  cause  of  education,  by 
Abraham  Baldwin,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  and  one 
of  the  best  classical  scholars  of  his  time.  Though 
he  had  not  been  long  settled  in  Georgia,  his 
popularity  was  already  so  great  as  to  obtain  for 
him  a  seat  in  the  assembly.  During  the  session, 
he  originated  the  plan  of  the  University  of  Geor- 
gia, and  obtained  from  the  legislature  a  grant  of 
forty  thousand  acres  of  wild  land  toward  its 
endowment.  A  board  of  trustees  was  organized 
the  following  year,  but  the  land  being  situated 
on  the  northwestern  frontier,  the  danger  of  In- 
dian hostilities,  joined  to  the  difficulty  of  finding 
purchasers,  kept  the  fund  for  many  years  un- 
available. The  country  was  new,  land  abundant 
and  cheap ;  much  even  of  a  good  quality  could 


274  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


be  obtained  by  merely  surveying  it,  and  paying 
the  fees  for  granting.  The  lands,  therefore,  of 
the  university  could  not  be  made  available  for 
any  valuable  purpose,  and  the  trustees  were 
unable  to  commence  the  institution.  By  the 
treaty  of  Beaufort,  five  thousand  acres  were  lost 
by  falling  into  the  state  of  South  Carolina. 
None  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  university 
were  sold  until  1803,  and  then  only  a  small  por- 
tion, and  at  a  low  price.  Most  of  them  remained 
unsold  and  unproductive  till  1816,  when  they 
found  purchasers,  and  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  were  vested  in  bank,  as  a  permanent  fund 
for  the  support  of  the  institution. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  it  may  not  be 
improper  in  this  place  to  show  what  Georgia  has 
done  to  promote  the  cause  of  education  through- 
out the  state.  On  the  31st  of  July,  1783,  the 
legislature  appropriated  one  hundred  acres  of 
land  to  each  county  for  the  support  of  free 
schools.  In  1792,  an  act  was  passed  appropri- 
ating one  thousand  pounds  sterling  for  the  endow- 
ment of  an  academy  in  each  county. 

In  1817,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars were  appropriated  to  the  support  of  poor 
schools.  The  following  year,  every  tenth  and 
one  hundredth  lot  of  land  in  seven  new  counties 
were  set  apart  for  educational  purposes  ;  and  in 
1821,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
were  devoted  to  the  support  of  county  academies. 


FUGITIVE   SLAVE  LAW.  275 


But  although  the  appropriations  by  the  legis- 
lature have  been  so  liberal,  and  private  subscrip- 
tions to  the  amount  of  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars  have  aided  in  advancing  so  wise  and 
humane  an  object,  education  has  never  been  more 
than  partial,  owing  to  an  apathetic  indifference 
on  the  part  of  the  great  mass  of  the  popula- 
tion. 

During  the  session  of  1793,  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  passed  an  act  which,  although 
it  attracted  but  little  attention  at  the  time,  has 
since  acquired  peculiar  importance  from  its  be- 
coming, in  its  revised  and  more  stringent  form, 
the  test  of  harmonious  action  between  the  North 
and  South.  It  was  an  act  regulating  the  sur- 
render of  fugitives  from  justice,  and  the  restora- 
tion of  fugitives  from  service,  as  provided  for  in 
the  constitution. 

Fugitives  from  justice,  on  the  demand  of  the 
executive  of  the  state  whence  they  had  fled  upon 
the  executive  of  any  state  in  which  they  might 
be  found,  accompanied  with  an  indictment  or 
affidavit  charging  crime  upon  them,  were  to  be 
delivered  up,  and  carried  back  for  trial. 

In  case  of  the  escape  out  of  any  state  or  ter- 
ritory of  any  person  held  to  service  or  labour 
under  the  laws  thereof,  the  person  to  whom  such 
labour  was  due,  his  agent,  or  attorney,  might  seize 
the  fugitive  and  carry  him  before  any  United 
States  judge,  or  before  any  magistrate  of  the 


276  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

city,  town,  or  county  in  which  the  arrest  was 
made ;  and  such  judge  or  magistrate,  on  proof  to 
his  satisfaction,  either  oral  or  by  affidavit  before 
any  other  magistrate,  that  the  person  seized  was 
really  a  fugitive,  and  did  owe  labour  as  alleged, 
was  to  grant  a  certificate  to  that  effect  to  the 
claimant,  this  certificate  to  serve  as  a  sufficient 
warrant  for  the  removal  of  the  fugitive  to  the 
state  whence  he  had  fled. 

Any  person  obstructing  in  any  way  such  sei- 
zure or  removal,  or  harbouring  or  concealing 
any  fugitive  after  notice,  was  liable  to  a  penalty 
of  five  hundred  dollars,  to  be  recovered  by  the 
claimant. 

Shortly  before  the  termination  of  the  session, 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  decided 
the  first  great  constitutional  question  brought 
before  it.  One  Chisholm,  being  a  citizen  of 
another  state,  had  brought  an  action  against  the 
State  of  Georgia,  to  recover  a  sum  of  money 
alleged  to  be  due  him  by  that  state.  This  raised 
the  question  whether  the  states  were  liable  to 
be  sued  by  individual  citizens  of  other  states. 
Judge  Iredell,  who  seemed  to  lean  against  the 
jurisdiction,  wished  to  escape  a  decision  on  an 
objection  to  the  form  of  the  action.  The  other 
judges  overruled  the  objection,  and  held  that,  as 
the  United  States  constituted  one  nation,  the 
alleged  sovereignty  of  the  separate  states  must 
be  considered  to  be  so  far  modified  thereby  as  to 


LAND    SPECULATIONS.  277 


subject  them,  under  the  terms  of  the  Constitution, 
to  suits  in  the  national  courts. 

The  day  after  this  decision  was  pronounced, 
Sedgwick  offered  a  resolution  in  the  house  of 
representatives  for  an  amendment  to  the  Consti- 
tution, protecting  the  states  against  suits  by  in- 
dividuals. No  action  was  had  on  the  motion  at 
this  time,  but,  subsequently,  such  an  amendment 
prevailed. 

The  speculations  in  wild  lands  still  continued. 
Between  the  years  1791  and  1795,  most  of  the 
public  domain,  which  had  passed  into  the  hands 
of  particular  states,  had  become  exhausted.  All 
the  most  valuable  tracts  held  by  Massachusetts 
had  become  individual  property.  Out  of  seven 
millions  of  acres  owned  by  New  York,  five  and  a 
half  millions  had  been  disposed  of  at  a  single 
sale.  Almost  the  whole  of  the  large  tracts 
which,  upon  the  confiscation  of  the  proprietary 
estates,  had  come  into  the  possession  of  Penn- 
sylvania, had  been  bought  up  by  speculators. 

The  latter  now  turned  their  attention  to  the 
lands  claimed  by  Georgia  west  of  the  Chattahoo- 
chee,  and  between  that  river  and  the  Mississippi. 
In  1794  and  1795,  the  general  assembly  passed 
an  act  conveying  to  four  associations,  called  by 
the  respective  names  of  the  Georgia,  the  Geor- 
gia Mississippi,  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  the 
Tennessee  Companies,  thirty-five  millions  of 
acres  of  land,  for  five  hundred  thousand  dollars, 

24 


278  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


lying  between  the  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  Coosa, 
Alabama,  and  Mobile  Rivers.  The  bill  authorizing 
the  sale  was  contested  in  both  houses  of  Con- 
gress. It  was  passed  by  a  majority  of  ten  in 
the  house  of  representatives  and  two  in  the 
senate.  The  sale  of  this  land,  and  its  ratification 
by  Congress,  produced  great  excitement  through- 
out Georgia,  where  it  was  known  that  all  in  the 
state  legislature  who  voted  for  the  bill,  with  one 
or  two  exceptions,  were  directly  or  indirectly 
bribed. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  this  fraudulent 
scheme,  General  James  Jackson,  of  Georgia,  who 
was  then  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  used 
all  his  influence  in  opposition  to  its  consummation. 
The  defeat  of  the  Yazoo  act  was  the  absorbing 
subject  of  his  thoughts.  In  1795,  yielding  to 
the  wishes  of  many  of  his  fellow-citizens,  he 
resigned  his  seat  in  the  senate,  and,  returning 
home,  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legislature, 
by  which  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
committee  authorized  to  investigate  the  conduct 
of  their  predecessors.  The  whole  corruption  was 
exposed  and  overturned ;  the  odious  act  was 
repealed,  and  it  was  determined  to  obliterate  the 
remembrance  of  it  from  history  by  committing 
the  records  to  the  flames.  The  burning  was 
executed  with  great  formality.  The  two  houses, 
moving  in  procession  for  that  purpose,  were  pre- 
ceded by  a  committee  bearing  the  obnoxious 


BURNING  OF  THE  YAZOO  LAND  ACT.   279 


parchments.  A  fire  having  been  kindled  in  front 
of  the  state-house,  the  committee  handed  the  do- 
cuments to  the  president  of  the  senate,  he  to  the 
speaker  of  the  house,  he  to  the  clerk,  and  the 
clerk  to  the  doorkeeper ;  who,  while  thrusting 
them  into  the  flames,  cried  out  with  a  loud  and 
decisive  voice :  "  God  save  the  state,  and  long 
preserve  her  rights,  and  may  every  attempt  to 
injure  them  perish,  as  these  wicked  and  corrupt 
acts  now  do !" 

Unfortunately,  this  solemn  repudiation  of  the 
sale  by  no  means  tended  to  settle  the  question. 
The  original  purchasers  had  already  transferred 
their  rights  to  others  at  a  large  advance  on  the 
original  purchase-money.  These  new  purchasers 
were  not  at  all  disposed  to  concede  the  right  of 
the  legislature  of  Georgia  to  nullify  the  acts  of 
their  predecessors,  especially  in  a  case  like  the 
present,  where  the  interest  of  third  parties  were 
concerned. 

When,  therefore,  these  same  lands  were  subse- 
quently sold  by  Georgia  to  the  United  States, 
Congress  was  loudly  called  upon  for  an  indem- 
nity to  the  claimants  under  the  Georgia  grant. 
Nearly  twenty  years  elapsed  before  the  matter 
was  brought  to  a  final  settlement. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1800,  Madi- 
son, Gallatin,  and  Lincoln,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed commissioners  for  adjusting  with  Georgia 
her  claims  to  the  territory  of  Mississippi,  were 


280  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


vested  with  full  powers  to  arrange  the  whole  mat- 
ter ;  with  the  restriction,  however,  that  no  money 
was  to  he  paid  to  Georgia  except  out  of  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  land. 

The  agreement  thus  entered  into  was  not  com- 
municated to  Congress  until  late  in  the  session 
of  1802.  By  the  terms  of  the  compact,  Georgia 
ceded  to  the  United  States  all  her  claims  to  the 
territory  west  of  what  now  constitutes  her  western 
boundary,  on  condition  of  receiving  out  of  the 
first  net  proceeds  of  the  lands  sold,  the  sum  of 
one  million  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, the  United  States  undertaking  to  extinguish, 
at  the  expense  of  the  federal  treasury,  the  Indian 
title  to  the  lands  reserved  by  Georgia  as  early  as 
the  same  could  be  peaceably  obtained  on  reason- 
able terms;  especially  the  Indian  title  to  that 
tract  between  the  Oconee  and  Ockmulgee.  It  was 
also  provided  by  the  terms  of  the  compact,  that 
whenever  the  population  of  the  territory  thus 
ceded  should  amount  to  sixty  thousand,  or  earlier 
at  the  option  of  Congress,  the  ceded  territory 
was  to  be  erected  into  a  state,  on  the  same  terms 
and  conditions  contained  in  the  ordinance  of 
1787  for  the  government  of  the  territory  north- 
west of  the  Ohio,  "that  article  only  excepted 
which  prohibits  slavery." 

The  Yazoo  claims  never  having  as  yet  been 
satisfactorily  adjusted,  the  same  commissioners 
who  had  negotiated  with  Georgia  the  cession  of 


SETTLEMENT  OF  YAZOO  LAND  CLAIMS.    281 


the  Mississippi  country,  having  been  authorized 
to  inquire  as  to  the  various  land  claims  in  that  ter- 
ritory, reported,  concerning  the  grants  of  1795, 
that,  whatever  grounds  of  invalidity  there  might 
be,  as  between  Georgia  and  the  original  grantees, 
and  even  though  the  contract  might  not  be  legally 
binding,  as  between  Georgia  and  the  present 
holders,  yet,  as  those  holders  claimed  to  stand, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  did  stand,  in  the  position 
of  innocent  purchasers  without  notice,  theirs 
seemed  a  proper  case  for  compromise.  Taking 
this  view  of  the  matter,  the  commissioners  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  offering  to  the  claimants 
certificates  bearing  interest  to  the  amount  of  two 
millions  and  a  half  of  dollars,  or  certificates  with- 
out interest  for  five  millions,  payable  out  of  the 
earliest  receipts  for  Mississippi  lands,  after  the 
stipulation  to  Georgia  should  be  satisfied. 

Upon  this  report  was  founded  an  act  appro- 
priating whatever  might  remain  of  the  five  mil- 
lions of  acres  reserved  by  the  compact,  after  cer- 
tain specified  deductions  had  been  made,  to  the 
quieting  of  such  unconfirmed  claims  as  might  be 
exhibited  and  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  before  the  close  of  the  year,  and  for 
which  Congress  might  see  fit  to  make  a  provision. 
t  To  this  act,  Randolph  during  the  next  session 
of  Congress  objected,  and  moved  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions excluding  from  any  compensation  whatever 
the  claimants  under  the  Yazoo  grants  of  1795. 

24* 


282  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


Almost  all  the  southern,  and  a  few  of  the  north- 
ern members  supported  the  resolutions ;  but  after 
a  fierce  struggle,  they  were  voted  down  by  a  ma- 
jority of  five.  Thus  ended  the  contest. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Ellicott  appointed  to  run  the  line  between  the  Creeks  and  Geor- 
gians— Obstacles — Assertion  of  Spanish  claims  to  the  Indian 
territory — Intrigues  of  McGillivray — Appointed  Superintend- 
ent-general of  Spain  in  the  Creek  nation — Irritation  of  the 
Georgians — Their  determined  stand — Sickness  of  McGillivray 
— His  death — Frontier  excesses — Georgia  arms  against  the 
Indians — Failure  of  the  invasion — Seagrove  attends  a  council 
of  the  Creek  chiefs — Friendly  disposition  of  the  Indians — 
Seagrove  attacked  in  his  house  and  plundered — Arrival  of 
Genet — His  extraordinary  course — Fits  out  privateers — Or- 
ganizes expeditions  from  Kentucky  and  Georgia  against  New 
Orleans  and  Florida — The  Spanish  governor  remonstrates — 
Course  of  Governors  Shelby  and  Matthews — Genet  recalled 
—Projects  of  Clarke — Settles  the  Oconee  lands — Ordered  off 
— Refuses — Is  driven  off  by  the  militia  of  Georgia. 

.  IN  order  to  carry  out  in  the  clearest  manner 
the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  New  York,  early 
in  the  year  1791,  Andrew  Ellicott,  a  citizen  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  appointed  by  the  federal  go- 
vernment to  run  the  line  between  the  Creeks  and 
Georgians.  He  reached  Rock  Landing  upon  the 
Oconee  in  May,  accompanied  by  James  Seagrove, 
an  Irishman,  who  had  been  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  Creek  nation.  At  this  place  the 
government  erected  a  strong  fort,  and  threw  into 
it  a  large  garrison. 


SPANISH   INTERFERENCE.  283 

From  this  point,  McGillivray  was  urged  to 
obtain  the  consent  of  the  Indians  to  the  running 
of  the  boundary  line,  and  their  assistance  to  its 
execution. 

Many  obstacles  as  usual  occurred.  The  Spa- 
nish government,  alarmed  by  the  treaty  of  New 
York,  now  asserted  her  claims  to  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  territory  in  question.  McGillivray 
attributed  the  moodiness  and  discontent  of  the 
Indians  to  the  machinations  of  his  rival  Bowles, 
and,  after  expressing  his  inability  to  control  the 
disaffected,  retired,  as  we  have  already  mentioned, 
to  Florida,  where  he  remained  during  the  follow- 
ing winter. 

His  return  to  the  Coosa,  which  took  place  in 
1792,  only  served  to  complicate  matters  which 
were  already  sufficiently  entangled.  The  ease 
with  which  he  rid  himself  of  the  presence  of 
Bowles,  as  soon  as  he  found  it  his  interest  to  do 
so,  showed  very  clearly,  that  the  reluctance  of ' 
the  Creeks  to  submit  to  the  survey  did  not  ema- 
nate in  any  great  degree  from  the  influence  of 
the  freebooter.  The  intrigues  of  McGillivray 
with  the  Spanish  authorities  were  the  real  cause. 
He  had  scarcely  returned  from  Florida  before  a 
Spanish  agent  made  his  appearance  in  the  nation, 
and  took  up  his  abode  at  the  Hickory  Ground 
upon  the  Coosa.  The  unexpected  presence  of 
this  agent,  Captain  Don  Pedro  Oliver,  and  his 
familiarity  with  McGillivray,  awakened  the  suspi- 


284  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


cions  of  Ellicott  and  Seagrove,  who  inferred,  na- 
turally enough,  that  McGillivray  was  not  acting 
in  good  faith  with  the  federal  government.  The 
supposition,  though  incapable  of  proof  at  the 
time,  has  since  been  most  abundantly  verified. 

Through  the  remonstrances  of  William  Panton, 
a  wealthy  merchant  of  Pensacola,  whose  partner 
in  the  Indian  trade  McGillivray  had  become, 
the  Spanish  government  appointed  the  latter 
superintendent-general  of  the  Creek  nation,  with 
an  annual  salary  of  two  thousand  dollars,  which, 
in  July  of  the  same  year,  was  increased  to  three 
thousand  five  hundred. 

As  McGillivray  was  thus  an  agent  of  Spain, 
with  an  annual  salary  of  thirty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars, the  copartner  of  Panton,  trading  from  a  Spa- 
nish port,  and  the  agent  of  the  United  States 
with  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  dollars,  it  may 
easily  be  inferred,  though  paid  by  both,  toward 
which  nation  his  inclinations  leaned. 

The  ignorance  of  Spain  in  relation  to  the  secret 
article  in  the  treaty  of  New  York,  and  the  equal 
ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  of  the 
large  sum  paid  yearly  to  McGillivray  by  Spain, 
puzzled  both  parties  greatly  to  account  for  the 
wavering  and  uncertain  policy  of  McGillivray, 
which  subsequent  developments  have  so  clearly 
explained. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  people  of  Georgia,  wor- 
ried alike  by  the  Spaniards  and  the  Indians, 


BOUNDARY   TROUBLES.  285 

were  chafing  impatiently  at  the  numerous  impedi- 
ments and  delays  which  rendered  their  frontier 
possessions  so  constantly  insecure. 

Disgusted  at  length  with  the  progress  of  ne- 
gotiations which  presented  no  prospect  of  a 
termination,  they  resolved,  that  if  the  United 
States  delayed  much  longer  in  driving  the  Spa- 
niards from  their  territory,  to  undertake  it  them- 
selves. 

The  opposition  of  Spain  to  the  survey  under- 
taken hy  the  agents  of  the  federal  government, 
her  refusal  to  admit  of  American  settlements  on 
the  Mississippi,  joined  to  her  express  determina- 
tion to  protect  the  Creeks  from  any  encroach- 
ments on  the  part  of  Georgia,  tended  still  more 
to  exasperate  the  latter,  and  embarrass  the  action 
of  the  government. 

Friendly  relations  existing  between  McGillivray 
and  Governor  Carondelet,  he  continued  his  visits 
to  New  Orleans,  giving  up  one  of  his  houses  to 
Captain  Oliver,  whom  he  had  established  in  the 
affections  of  his  people.  In  returning  from  New 
Orleans  late  in  the  summer  of  1792,  a  violent 
fever  detained  him  long  in  Mobile.  He  finally 
recovered  from  the  attack,  and  reached  Little 
Tallasse,  from  which  place  he  wrote  to  Seagrove, 
the  Indian  agent,  deploring  the  unhappy  disturb- 
ances which  existed,  and  attributing  them  to 
Spanish  interference.  This  was  a  mere  excuse, 
since  the  influence  which  the  latter  had  obtained 


286  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


in  the  nation  had  been  fostered  and  encouraged 
by  McGillivray  himself. 

It  is  very  evident  that  the  great  chief  never 
cordially  allied  himself  either  to  the  federal 
government  or  to  Georgia.  The  latter  he  could 
not  help  regarding  as  the  natural  enemy  of  his 
people ;  a  feeling  in  some  measure  justified  by 
that  tenacious  and  constantly  enlarging  grasp 
with  which  the  Georgians  laid  hold  of  the  Creek 
territory. 

But  the  career  of  this  remarkable  man  was 
fast  drawing  to  a  close.  He  was  always  of  a 
delicate  constitution,  and  had  long  suffered  from 
a  complication  of  disorders.  He  was  taken  ill 
on  the  path  coming  from  his  Cowpen  plantation, 
on  Little  River,  and  only  retained  sufficient 
strength  to  reach  the  house  of  his  partner,  Mr. 
Panton,  at  Pensacola,  where  he  died  eight  days 
after  his  arrival,  and  was  buried  in  the  garden 
of  that  merchant,  whose  magnificent  fortune  he 
had  so  largely  aided  in  building  up. 

No  sooner  were  the  politic  restraints,  with 
which  McGillivray  had  undoubtedly  curbed  the 
more  blood-thirsty  of  his  people,  cast  loose  by 
the  death  of  their  beloved  man,  than  the  horrors 
of  frontier  war  broke  out  fiercer  than  ever.  Mur- 
ders were  committed  in  various  quarters :  on  the 
St.  Mary's,  in  the  new  counties  of  Camden  and 
Glynn,  and  at  the  Skull  shoals  of  the  Oconee. 

These  excesses  roused  the  Georgians  to  take 


THE  CREEK  COUNTRY  INVADED.    287 


the  law  into  their  own  hands.  Governor  Telfair 
directed  a  large  force  to  be  raised  for  the  in- 
vasion of  the  Creek  country.  At  the  solicita- 
tion of  the  Georgia  delegation  in  Congress, 
Washington  sent  to  Augusta  a  large  stand  of 
arms  and  ammunition,  and  authorized  Governor 
Telfair  to  enlist  a  few  companies  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  frontiers,  but  remonstrated  against 
the  invasion.  Telfair  refused  to  accept  the 
troops,  and  paid  no  heed  to  the  remonstrance. 
He  placed  General  Twiggs  at  the  head  of  seven 
hundred  mounted  men,  and  ordered  him  into  the 
Indian  country. 

The  army  of  invasion  marched  as  far  as  the 
Ockmulgee  River,  and  then,  weakened  by  the 
want  of  provisions,  and  rendered  perfectly  ineffi- 
cient by  insubordination,  retreated. 

This  unfortunate  failure  incited  the  Creeks  to 
commit  still  greater  excesses.  Telfair  called  out 
a  mounted  force  of  militia,  which  scoured  con- 
stantly the  country  between  the  Oconee  and 
Ockmulgee.  Washington  again  remonstrated; 
when  some  of  the  malcontents,  forgetful  of  the 
respect  that  was  due  to  the  President  of  the 
Republic,  vented  their  indignation  by  placing 
his  effigies  upon  pine  trees  and  firing  at  them. 
Seagrove,  the  accredited  agent  of  the  federal 
government,  still  remained  near  the  Indians, 
communicating  with  them  occasionally  through 


288  HISTORY  OF   GEORGIA. 


Timothy  Barnard,  a  trustworthy  man  who  resided 
within  the  nation. 

In  March,  1793,  a  council  of  the  chiefs,  con- 
sisting of  delegates  from  the  upper  and  lower 
towns,  invited  Seagrove  to  a  personal  conference. 
To  this  mission  Governor  Telfair  objected,  on 
the  ground  that  it  would  interfere  with  his  mili- 
tary operations  ;  and  stating  further,  that  Georgia 
would  submit  to  no  treaty  made  with  the  Creeks, 
where  her  agents  were  not  permitted  to  partici- 
pate. 

Seagrove,  however,  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  after  some  delay  set  out  from  Fort  Fidius, 
escorted  by  a  military  guard.  When  he  reached 
the  Ockmulgee  the  guard  was  dismissed,  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty  warriors  accompanied  him 
from  thence  to  Cusseta  upon  the  Chattahoochee. 
After  being  saluted  at  this  place  with  the  beating 
of  drums  and  the  fire  of  artillery,  he  proceeded 
to  the  Tallapoosa  River,  on  the  west  bank  of 
which  stood  Tookabatcha,  the  capital  of  the 
nation. 

On  the  23d  of  November,  1793,  he  addressed 
a  vast  assembly  of  the  Indians  convened  for  that 
purpose,  and  in  a  speech  of  unusual  force  and 
vigour,  commented  upon  the  character  of  their 
repeated  aggressions  and  their  faithlessness  in 
not  assisting  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the 
treaty  of  New  York. 

A  deliberation  among  the  chiefs  themselves 


SEAGROVE   ASSAULTED.  289 

followed,  the  result  of  which  was,  that  they 
agreed  to  deliver  into  the  hands  of  the  agent, 
the  negroes,  horses,  cattle,  and  other  property 
taken  from  the  Georgians  during  the  twelve 
months  preceding ;  and  to  put  to  death  several 
of  the  principals  engaged  in  the  late  murders 
upon  the  frontiers. 

But  while  Seagrove  was  congratulating  him- 
self upon  the  success  of  his  mission,  a  party  of 
Creeks  who  preferred  treating  with  commission- 
ers from  Georgia,  and  were  opposed  to  any  in- 
terference on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
combined  secretly  to  attack  him.  Led  by  the 
Tallasse  king,  they  entered  one  night  the  house  at 
which  Seagrove  was  staying,  plundered  him  of 
his  property,  and  forced  him  to  fly  for  his  life  and 
hide  himself  in  a  deep  pond  screened  by  trees 
and  bushes. 

In  the  morning,  however,  by  the  interposition 
of  friendly  chiefs,  peace  was  restored,  the  agent 
withdrawn  from  his  hiding-place,  and  subse- 
quently escorted  in  safety  back  to  the  frontiers. 

In  addition  to  that  fruitful  source  of  annoy- 
ance, her  Indian  claims,  Georgia  had  been  pro- 
foundly agitated  during  this  year  by  an  event 
which  had  its  origin  in  the  French  Revolution. 
This  was  no  other  than  the  arrival  at  Charleston 
of  Citizen  Genet,  appointed  to  supersede  Ternant 
as  ambassador  from  France.  Q.enet  brought  with 
him  news  of  the  French  declaration  of  war 

25 


290  HISTORY  OP   GEORGIA. 

against  Great  Britain.  The  people  of  Charles- 
ton received  him  with  enthusiasm.  Being  pro- 
vided with  blank  commissions,  both  naval  and 
military,  he  caused  to  be  fitted  out  two  priva- 
teers, manned  mostly  with  Americans,  which  put 
to  sea  under  the  French  flag,  and,  cruising  along 
the  coast,  soon  made  numerous  captures  of  home- 
ward-bound vessels.  He  also  assumed,  under 
a  decree  of  the  convention,  the  extraordinary 
power  of  authorizing  the  French  consuls  through- 
out the  United  States  to  erect  themselves  into 
courts  of  admiralty  for  trying  and  condemning 
such  prizes  as  the  French  cruisers  might  bring 
into  American  ports. 

The  federal  government,  listening  to  the  com- 
plaints made  by  the  British  minister,  declared 
that  the  privateering  commissions  issued  by 
Genet,  as  well  as  the  condemnation  of  prizes  by 
the  French  consuls,  were  unauthorized  by  treaty, 
irregular,  and  void. 

Against  this  decision  Genet  most  vehemently 
protested.  Washington  remained  firm ;  but  for 
a  considerable  period  it  was  doubtful  whether 
Genet,  supported  by  the  fiery  enthusiasm  of  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  American  people, 
would  not  be  able  to  place  himself  beyond  the 
control  of  the  federal  government. 

France  had  now  also  declared  war  against 
Spain.  This  rendered  the  mission  of  Genet 
most  welcome  to  many  of  the  Georgians,  who 


FRENCH   EMISSARIES.  291 


desired  nothing  more  earnestly  than  to  crush,  by 
any  means  whatever,  the  power  of  her  trouble- 
some neighbour. 

Four  French  agents  were  sent  by  Genet  to 
Kentucky,  with  orders  to  enlist  in  that  state  an 
army  of  two  thousand  men ;  to  engage  the  ser- 
vices of  a  distinguished  American  officer,  as  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and,  descending  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  in  boats,  attack  the  Spanish  settle- 
ments at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  bring 
the  whole  of  that  country  under  the  dominion  of 
the  French  republic.  The  command  of  this 
force  was  confided  to  General  George  Rogers 
Clarke,  who  accepted  the  commission  of  major- 
general  in  the  service  of  France,  with  an  annual 
salary  of  ten  thousand  dollars. 

Emissaries  were  also  busily  engaged  at  the 
same  time  in  issuing  commissions  and  collecting 
a  military  force  in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 
The  expedition  from  Kentucky  was  destined  for 
New  Orleans ;  that  which  had  its  appointed  ren- 
dezvous in  Georgia  was  intended  for  the  invasion 
of  Florida.  General  Elijah  Clarke  accepted 
command  of  the  latter,  under  a  commission  and 
salary  similar  to  that  of  General  Clarke  of  Ken- 
tucky. A  considerable  body  of  Creeks  and  Che- 
rokees  had  likewise  been  enlisted  in  the  service 
of  the  French  republic.  An  agent  was  furnished 
with  ten  thousand  dollars,  to  purchase  supplies 


292  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

for  the  Georgia  army,  which  was  to  assemble  at 
St.  Mary's. 

Alarmed  at  these  preparations,  the  Governor 
of  East  Florida  remonstrated  with  the  Governors 
of  Kentucky  and  Georgia. 

Governor  Shelby,  of  the  former  state,  in  con- 
junction with  a  considerable  portion  of  the  citi- 
zens of  Kentucky,  who  desired  a  free  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi,  was  strongly  inclined  to  favour 
the  projects  of  Genet.  Governor  Matthews,  what- 
ever might  have  been  his  private  feelings  in  the 
matter,  immediately  issued  a  proclamation  for- 
bidding the  people  of  Georgia  to  engage  in  the 
enterprise. 

Washington  also  publicly  denounced  the  whole 
project,  and  authorised  the  governors  of  the 
various  states  within  whose  limits  such  expedi- 
tions were  forming,  to  employ  the  United  States 
troops  in  putting  down  the  contemplated  in- 
vasion. 

Kentucky  still  resisted.  Democratic  societies 
were  established,  in  imitation  of  the  Jacobin 
clubs  of.  Paris.  Inflammatory  harangues  were 
made,  expressive  of  a  determination  to  force  the 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  untrammelled  by 
any  foreign  authority.  The  East  was  charged 
with  jealousy  of  the  West  and  South,  and  an 
exasperated  state  of  feeling  produced,  which 
threatened  at  one  time  to  seriously  endanger  the 
integrity  of  the  confederation. 


GENET'S  SCHEMES  FRUSTRATED.        293 


To  their  honour  be  it  said,  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina  supported  Washington  in  this  hour  of 
difficulty.  The  schemes  of  Genet  were  frus- 
trated, his  agents  arrested,  and  his  projects  dis- 
avowed by  the  new  administrators  of  the  French 
government,  who,  yielding  to  the  request  of 
Washington,  consented  to  recall  their  obnoxious 
ambassador.  Genet,  however,  being  perhaps 
apprehensive  of  the  fate  which  might  befall  him, 
did  not  choose  to  risk  the  danger  of  returning  to 
France.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Governor 
Clinton  of  New  York,  became  a  resident  of  that 
state,  and,  ceasing  to  exercise  the  functions  of  a 
French  minister,  soon  sunk  into  almost  total 
obscurity. 

This  concert  of  action  between  the  general  and 
state  governments  was  by  no  means  pleasing  to 
many  of  the  restless  spirits  who  had  entered  so 
ardently  into  the  schemes  of  Genet.  There  were 
at  that  time  large  numbers  of  persons,  who,  hav- 
ing been  actively  engaged  throughout  the  whole 
war  of  the  Revolution,  had  acquired  that  thirst 
for  excitement  and  those  roving  habits  which  a 
war  of  any  continuance  is  so  apt  to  engender. 
These  men  found  it  difficult  to  settle  themselves 
down  to  any  calm  and  peaceful  avocations ;  and 
even  such  as  had  occupied  high  stations  in  the 
army  felt  it  difficult  to  conform  to  the  new  state 
of  things. 

Some  of  this  unquiet  class  of  men  no  sooner 


294  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


found  themselves  deprived  of  the  prospects  of  a 
campaign  in  Florida,  than  they  turned  their 
attention  to  the  possession  of  the  long-disputed 
lands  between  the  Oconee  and  Ockmulgee.  Ge- 
neral Elijah  Clarke,  the  brave  old  Revolutionary 
veteran,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  this  move- 
ment. Accompanied  by  a  large  party  of  Geor- 
gians, he  began  a  settlement  opposite  Fort 
Fidius,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Oconee,  and  upon 
the  lands  guarantied  by  the  federal  government 
to  the  Indians. 

General  Irwin,  on  the  part  of  the  state,  ordered 
him  to  remove,  which  he  refused  to  do.  Governor 
Matthews  forbade  by  proclamation  the  contem- 
plated settlement,  and  accused  Clarke  of  an 
attempt  to  form  a  separate  and  independent  go- 
vernment. The  latter  appeared  before  the  supe- 
rior court  of  Wilkes  county,  and  surrendered  him- 
self for  trial.  The  proceedings  partook  of  the 
nature  of  a  farce.  He  was  found  not  guilty,  and 
discharged. 

Many  persons  now  flocked  to  his  standard. 
His  settlements  were  pushed  with  vigour ;  a  town 
was  laid  off,  and  Forts  Advance  and  Defiance 
were  erected  and  garrisoned. 

Washington  called  the  attention  of  the  state 
government  to  this  illegal  occupation  of  the  In- 
dian territory,  and  offered  the  services  of  troops 
to  assist  in  driving  off  the  settlers.  Governor 
Matthews  directed  Generals  Twiggs  and  Irwin  to 


CLARKE'S  SETTLEMENTS.  295 


break  up  the  settlements  begun  by  Clarke.  This 
duty  was  performed  by^  the  Georgia  militia, 
firmly,  yet  without  undue  harshness.  On  the 
25th  of  September,  1794,  General  Clarke,  find- 
ing himself  abandoned  by  all  but  twenty  of  his 
men,  surrendered  upon  condition  that  his  pro- 
perty and  the  property  of  the  colonists  should  be 
returned  to  them.  The  forts  and  houses  were 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  affair  ended  happily 
without  the  shedding  of  blood. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Council  of  Coleraine — Treaty  of  New  York  formally  renewed 
and  ratified — Discontent  of  Georgia — Treaty  with  Spain — 
Settlement  of  boundaries — Ellicott  appointed  commissioner 
to  run  the  boundary  between  Spain  and  the  United  States — 
Intrigues  of  Carondelet — His  reluctance  to  carry  out  the 
conditions  of  the  treaty — Sends  an  emissary  to  Kentucky — 
Fort  Panmure  summoned  by  the  Americans — Increase  of 
American  force — Gayoso  evacuates  Fort  Panmure — Survey 
commenced — Interruptions  feared  from  the  Creeks — Council 
at  Miller's  Bluff — Governor  Folch,  of  Pensacola,  instigates 
the  Creeks  to  break  up  the  survey — Ellicott  proceeds  to  St. 
Marks — Joins  the  surveyors  on  the  St.  Mary's — Bowles  the 
freebooter — Refuses  to  enter  the  Spanish  service — Sent  to 
Manilla — Escapes — Reaches  Florida — Is  captured — Sent  to 
Havana — Dies  in  Moro  Castle. 

THE  sale  of  the  public  lands,  entered  into  by 
the  legislature  of  Georgia  in  the  early  part  of 
February,  1795,  and  stigmatized  as  the  Yazoo 
fraud,  has  been  already  mentioned  in  a  previous 
chapter. 


296         .  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


In  May,  1796,  commissioners  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States  and  Georgia  met  the  Indians 
in  council  at  Coleraine  upon  the  St.  Mary's 
River.  The  object  for  which  the  conference  was 
called  was  the  formation  of  a  treaty  of  peace 
with  the  Creeks,  and  the  cession  of  the  long- 
contested  lands  between  the  Oconee  and  Ock- 
mulgee. 

A  full  delegation  of  Indians  were  present,  con- 
sisting of  twenty  kings,  seventy-five  chiefs,  and 
three  hundred  and  forty  warriors.  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  Seagrove,  the  Indian  agent,  the  coun- 
cil was  removed  from  Coleraine  to  Muskogee,  a 
short  distance  off.  Here  a  considerable  time  was 
spent  in  listening  to  the  speeches  of  the  commis- 
sioners, and  in  subsequent  deliberations. 

At  length,  on  the  29th  of  June,  the  chiefs  of 
the  whole  Creek  nation  concluded  a  treaty  with 
the  federal  commissioners,  by  which  the  treaty 
of  New  York  was  formally  renewed  and  ratified  ; 
the  Indians  pledging  themselves  to  carry  out  its 
provisions,  and  to  assist  Spain  and  the  United 
States  to  run  their  line ;  but  they  positively 
refused  to  cede  any  portion  of  the  Oconee  and 
Ockmulgee  territory  to  Georgia. 

This  renewal  of  the  previous  treaty  failed  to 
satisfy  the  Georgians,  as  no  new  cessions  of  land 
were  obtained ;  but  it  put  an  end  to  the  mutual 
depredations  which  had  prevailed  on  that  frontier, 


TREATY  WITH   SPAIN.  297 

and  provided  for  the  restoration  of  prisoners  and 
property  taken  by  the  Indians. 

Previous  to  this,  Washington  had  despatched 
Thomas  Pinckney  on  a  special  mission  to  Spain, 
which  ended  in  settling  at  last  the  long-disputed 
questions  of  the  Spanish  boundary,  and  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Mississippi  River.  By  this  treaty, 
which  was  made  on  the  20th  of  October,  1795, 
the  Florida  boundary  was  stipulated  to  be  the 
thirty-first  degree  of  north  latitude,  between  the 
Mississippi  and  Appalachicola ;  and  east  of  the 
Appalachicola  a  line  from  the  junction  of  the 
Flint  to  the  head  of  the  St.  Mary's  ;  and  thence 
by  that  river  to  the  sea.  It  was  further  stipu- 
lated, that  Spain  should  not  hereafter  form  treaties 
of  alliance  with  Indians  living  upon  American 
soil,  nor  the  federal  government  with  Indians 
living  upon  Spanish  territory ;  and  that  Spanish 
and  American  commissioners  should  mark  the 
boundary  before  the  expiration  of  six  months 
after  the  ratification  of  the  treaty. 

In  order  to  carry  out  the  latter  clause  of  the 
treaty  as  speedily  as  possible,  Andrew  Ellicott, 
who  had  waited  on  the  frontiers  of  the  Indian 
territory  so  long  for  an  opportunity  to  survey  the 
line  of  the  Oconee  lands,  was  appointed  a  commis- 
sioner on  the  part  of  the  federal  government  to 
run  the  boundary  between  Spain  and  the  United 
States.  He  reached  Natchez,  on  the  Mississippi, 
in  the  latter  part  of  February,  1797,  and  imme- 


298  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


diately  commenced  negotiations  with  Don  Manuel 
de  Lemas,  commandant  at  Fort  Panmure,  gover- 
nor of  the  Natchez  dependencies,  and  commis- 
sioner on  the  part  of  Spain. 

But  Baron  Carondelet,  the  Spanish  governor 
of  Louisiana,  having  determined  not  to  comply 
with  the  treaty,  sought  hy  various  obstacles  to 
oppose  the  survey  of  the  boundary.  He  refused 
to  deliver  up  the  posts  north  of  the  thirty-first 
degree  of  north  latitude,  under  the  pretext  that 
he  apprehended  a  British  invasion  from  Canada, 
against  which  the  possession  of  these  posts  was 
necessary  to  an  effectual  resistance.  Another 
reason  alleged  by  him  for  still  retaining  them, 
was  the  uncertainty  he  entertained  whether,  un- 
der the  treaty  stipulations,  the  fortifications  were 
to  be  destroyed  or  left  standing.  His  reluctance 
to  acknowledge  the  validity  of  the  treaty  led  him 
to  violate  it  still  more  flagrantly.  He  sent  one 
Thomas  Powers  as  a  secret  agent  to  Kentucky, 
to  intrigue  with  the  old  Spanish  partisans  in  that 
region  for  the  dismemberment  of  the  Union,  and 
its  erection  into  an  independent  state,  in  close 
alliance  with  Spain.  Many  influential  men  in 
the  west  entered  zealously  into  the  project. 
Others  who  were  applied  to  for  the  same  purpose 
coldly  declined  to  take  any  part  in  the  enter- 
prise, but  kept  the  intrigue  concealed  from  the 
federal  government. 

Meanwhile,    Lieutenant    McLeary,    with    an 


PROCEEDINGS  AT  NATCHEZ.       299 


American  force,  unfurled  the  American  flag  on 
the  heights  of  Natchez,  and  marching  soon  after- 
ward to  Fort  Panmure,  demanded  its  surrender. 
But  as  the  latter,  in  anticipation  of  such  a  sum- 
mons, had  been  repaired  and  strengthened  with 
men  and  artillery,  Gayozo,  the  commandant, 
declined  to  evacuate  it,  and  McLeary  had  not 
the  means  of  capturing  it,  either  by  siege  or 
storm. 

Ellicott  warmly  remonstrated  against  this 
breach  of  the  treaty,  and  an  angry  correspond- 
ence followed.  About  this  time,  Lieutenant 
Pope  arrived  at  Natchez  with  forty  men,  which 
were  added  to  the  American  force.  Gayozo  now 
began  to  grow  alarmed ;  but  still  invented  excuses 
for  not  complying  with  the  demands  of  the  com- 
missioner. The  Natchez  population,  increasing 
rapidly,  desired  the  expulsion  of  the  Spaniards. 
Ellicott  insisted  that  Gayozo  should  appoint  a 
day  upon  which  he  would  meet  him  and  com- 
mence the  survey.  The  latter  answered  by 
evasions.  Finding  the  people  indisposed  to  wait 
much  longer,  he  issued  a  proclamation,  announc- 
ing that  the  treaty  would  ultimately  be  complied 
with,  but  refrained  from  saying  when.  The  im- 
prisonment of  an  American  citizen  by  Gayozo 
added  to  an  excitement  already  sufficiently  fierce. 
Public  meetings  were  called,  and  violent  measures 
advocated.  Gayozo  sought  to  temporize,  but  was 
answered  by  indignant  threats.  The  personal 


300  HISTORY  OP  GEORGIA. 

influence  of  Ellicott  alone  prevented  the  people 
from  committing  acts  of  violence. 

In  this  way  nearly  a  whole  year  was  passed. 
Perceiving,  from  the  continual  influx  of  Ameri- 
cans, that  his  position  was  becoming  every  day 
one  of  greater  danger,  Gayozo  concluded  at 
length  to  evacuate  the  fort,  and  sail  with  his 
troops  lower  down  the  river.  This  was  done  on 
the  29th  of  March,  1798,  and  immediately  after- 
ward Ellicott  proceeded  to  Tunica  Bayou,  and 
commenced  his  survey  in  a  dense  swamp,  on  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  where  the  line 
of  thirty  degrees  strikes  it. 

The  work  had  scarcely  been  commenced  before 
the  commissioners  appointed  by  Spain  joined 
Ellicott.  The  progress  of  the  survey  was,  how- 
ever, very  slow.  It  was  not  until  the  middle  of 
March,  1799,  that  the  line  was  completed  to  Mo- 
bile River.  The  Choctaw  nation  had  offered  no 
resistance  to  the  progress  of  the  party  through 
their  territory;  the  Creeks,  however,  appeared 
more  disposed  to  interfere.  It  was  decided  to 
meet  the  latter  in  council  upon  the  Conecuh. 
The  Spanish  governor  of  Pensacola  suggested 
that  the  proposed  council  should  be  held  at  Pen- 
sacola ;  but  as  the  American  commissioners  sus- 
pected that  Governor  Folch  designed  to  interrupt 
the  survey  by  fresh  intrigues  with  the  Indians, 
they  adhered  to  their  former  resolution.  A  con- 
ference was  accordingly  held  at  Miller's  Bluff,  in 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  SURVEY.       301 


the  presence  of  the  commissioners  of  both  nations 
and  several  Spanish  officers.  The  proceedings 
were  characterized  by  great  unanimity.  The 
Indians  appeared  satisfied  with  the  explanations 
they  received,  and  consented  to  assist  in  running 
the  line. 

Baffled  by  the  manly  and  straight-forward 
course  taken  by  the  respective  commissioners, 
Governor  Folch  secretly  instigated  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  Creeks  to  interrupt  the  survey  by  hos- 
tile demonstrations. 

With  large  bodies  of  insolent  Indian  marauders 
hanging  upon  his  rear,  and  plundering  the  effects 
of  his  party,  Ellicott  pushed  the  survey  to  the 
Chattahoochee,  where  he  fortified  himself. 

Notwithstanding  the  resolute  conduct  of  Colo- 
nel Hawkins,  who,  with  a  small  party  of  military, 
succeeded  in  restraining  the  Indians  from  plun- 
dering the  camp,  the  commissioners  found  it 
impossible  to  proceed  any  further.  The  survey- 
ors, attended  by  the  military  escort,  set  out  for 
St.  Mary's,  while  Ellicott,  embarking  in  his 
schooner,  the  rigging  of  which  had  been  cut  to 
pieces  by  the  Indians,  propelled  her  in  the  best 
way  he  could  down  the  Appalachicola  to  St.  Marks, 
where  he  remained  at  the  house  of  the  Spanish 
commandant,  Captain  Portell,  until  the  schooner 
was  repaired.  He  then  sailed  around  the  penin- 
sula, and  went  up  the  St.  Mary's  to  the  camp  of 
the  surveyors,  where,  in  conjunction  with  Captain 

26 


302  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


Mina,  the  surveyor  on  the  part' of  Spain,  he  de- 
termined, on  the  20th  of  February,  1800,  the 
point  of  the  line  of  thirty-one  degrees,  and  to  in- 
dicate it  erected  on  the  spot  a  large  mound.  Thus 
ended  a  difficult  and  dangerous  survey,  which, 
through  the  treachery  and  duplicity  of  Spain, 
had  been  protracted  over  a  space  of  three  years. 
While  Ellicott  was  on  his  way  to  St.  Marks,  a 
singular  adventure  befell  him  which  deserves 
something  more  than  a  passing  notice.  At  Fox- 
point  he  found  a  British  schooner  wrecked,  and 
among  the  crew  the  notorious  freebooter  Bowles, 
he  who  had  been  handed  over  to  the  Spanish 
governor  by  McGillivray,  and  sent  in  chains  to 
Madrid.  Knowing  that  this  man  was  possessed 
of  considerable  influence  among  a  certain  portion 
of  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Spanish  government  had 
sought  to  win  him  over  to  its  interest,  by  the 
offer  of  a  military  commission  and  an  annual 
salary.  Finding  these  would  not  tempt  him  to 
desert  his  loose  allegiance  to  England,  the  court 
of  Madrid  then  removed  him  from  his  prison  to 
handsome  quarters,  and  hoped  to  win  upon  his 
gratitude  by  supplying  him  with  obsequious  at- 
tendants, and  feasting  him  with  costly  wines,  and 
viands  of  the  richest  and  most  delicate  kinds. 
But  Bowles  remained  intractable,  and,  irritated  at 
length  by  his  obstinacy,  he  was  again  placed  in 
irons  and  sent  a  prisoner  to  Manilla,  on  the  Pa- 
cific. Here  he  remained  until  1791,  when  he 


FOKAYS   OF   BOWLES.  303 


was  again  sent  to  Spain.  At  the  island  of  As- 
cension, while  on  the  voyage,  Bowles  managed  to 
make  his  escape,  and  from  thence,  in  some  man- 
ner, reached  Sierra  Leone,  where  he  obtained  a 
passage  to  London.  He  had  returned  to  the 
coast  of  Florida  in  the  schooner,  the  wreck  of 
which  had  been  discovered  bj  Ellicott,  and  taking 
advantage  of  the  war  between  Spain  and  Eng- 
land— whose  subject  he  professed  to  be — had 
carried  on  for  some  time  a  sort  of  predatory  war- 
fare upon  the  coasting  vessels  and  property  of 
Spanish  subjects. 

In  his  conversations  with  Ellicott,  he  declared 
his  bitter  hatred  of  the  latter  power,  whose  posts 
in  Florida  he  avowed  his  intention  of  harassing 
by  incessant  attacks,  at  the  head  of  the  Creeks, 
whom  he  designated  as  "my  people." 

Soon  after  this,  Bowles  succeeded  in  quitting 
the  point  where  Ellicott  had  discovered  him,  and, 
entering  the  Creek  nation,  was  soon  enabled  to 
acquire  a  considerable  portion  of  his  former 
power. 

For  the  next  three  years  he  kept  up  a  succes- 
sion of  forays  into  the  Spanish  territory,  and 
bringing  back  into  the  Indian  country  the  plun- 
der he  took,  shared  it  among  his  adherents. 

The  alarm  with  which  his  name  now  inspired 
the  Spanish  population,  and  the  prosperous  issue 
of  his  incursions,  gradually  increased  his  daring. 
At  the  head  of  his  swarthy  followers,  he  pene- 


304  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


trated  the  Spanish  territory  as  far  as  St.  Marks, 
captured  the  fort,  and  came  off  with  the  booty 
unmolested. 

These  repeated  outrages  finally  aroused  the 
Spanish  authorities,  and  the  federal  agent,  Colonel 
Hawkins.  A  large  reward  was  secretly  offered 
for  the  capture  of  the  freebooter,  and  a  plot  ar- 
ranged for  carrying  it  into  effect.  It  was  accom- 
plished. Bowles  while  at  a  great  feast  was  sud- 
denly seized  by  concealed  Indians,  who  sprang 
upon  him,  bound  him,  and  carried  him  down  the 
river  in  a  canoe  filled  with  armed  warriors. 

While  the  canoe  was  fastened  to  the  bank  of 
the  river  for  the  night,  Bowles  succeeded  in 
making  his  escape  from  the  guards,  by  gnawing 
asunder  the  cords  that  bound  him.  Crossing  the 
river,  he  entered  a  dense  cane-swamp  and  fled ; 
but  was  eventually  recaptured,  and  taken  to 
Mobile.  From  thence  he  was  sent  to  Havana, 
where,  after  a  few  years,  he  ended  his  roman- 
tic but  turbulent  life  in  the  dungeons  of  Moro 
Castle. 


CONSTITUTION   REVISED.  305 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Revision  of  the  constitution  of  1789 — Cession  of  Louisiana  to 
France  —  Jefferson's  letter  to  Livingston1 — Negotiations — 
Louisiana  purchased  by  the  United  States — Claiborne  ap- 
pointed governor — Takes  possession  of  New  Orleans — 
Flourishing  condition  of  Georgia — Milledgeville  laid  off — 
Becomes  the  seat  of  government — Foreign  relations  of  the 
United  States — Disputes  with  England — Embargo  laid  on 
French  ports — Berlin  and  Milan  decrees  of  Napoleon — Inju- 
ries sustained  by  American  commerce — Declaration  of  war 

„  against  England — Dissatisfaction  among  the  Indians — Te- 
cumseh — Confers  with  the  British  agents  at  Detroit — Departs 
for  the  south — Stimulates  the  Seminoles  to  hostilities — Enters 
the  Creek  nation — Gains  many  proselytes — Returns  to  his 
nation — Outrages  on  the  frontiers — Civil  war  among  the 
Indians — Creek  war — War  with  Great  Britain — Peace  pro- 
claimed— Difficulties  between  Georgia  and  the  general  go- 
vernment. 

UNDER  the  provision  to  that  effect  in  the  state 
constitution  of  1789,  that  instrument  was  revised 
in  1798.  The  pecuniary  qualifications  of  gover- 
nor and  members  of  the  legislature  were  slightly 
diminished,  but  new  qualifications  of  citizenship 
and  of  residence  in  the  state  were  added :  six 
years  residence  and  twelve  years  citizenship 
were  required  to  render  a  candidate  eligible  to 
the  office  of  governor ;  in  case  of  members  of  the 
legislature,  three  years  residence ;  nine  years 
citizenship  for  senators,  and  seven  years  for  re- 
presentatives. 

Representation  in  the  house  was  henceforth  to 

26* 


306  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


be  regulated  by  a  compound  basis  of  territory 
and  population,  including  in  the  count  three-fifths 
of  the  people  of  colour. 

Three  thousand  inhabitants,  according  to  the 
ratio,  were  to  entitle  a  county  to  two  members ; 
seven  thousand,  to  three  members ;  and  twelve 
thousand,  to  four  members ;  but  no  county  was 
to  have  less  than  one  member  nor  more  than  four. 

Each  house  was  expressly  vested  with  power 
to  expel,  censure,  fine,  or  imprison  its  own  mem- 
bers for  disorderly  conduct,  to  preserve  its  own 
dignity  from  disorderly  conduct  on  the  part  of  any 
persons  not  members,  and  to  punish  threats  or 
assaults  upon  any  member  for  any  thing  said  or 
done  in  the  assembly. 

The  further  importation  of  slaves  from  Africa 
or  any  foreign  place  was  expressly  prohibited. 

By  a  clause  copied  from  the  constitution  of 
Kentucky,  the  legislature  of  Georgia  were  not 
permitted  to  pass  laws  for  the  emancipation  of 
slaves,  except  with  the  previous  consent  of  in- 
dividual owners ;  nor  were  they  to  prohibit  im- 
migrants from  bringing  with  them  "  such  persons 
as  may  be  deemed  slaves  by  the  law  of  any  one 
of  the  United  States." 

By  a  further  provision,  any  person  found 
guilty  of  maliciously  killing  or  dismembering  a 
slave  was  to  suffer  the  same  punishment  as  if  the 
acts  had  been  committed  on  a  free  white  person, 
except  in  cases  of  insurrection,  or  "  unless  death 


DIPLOMACY.  307 

should  happen  by  accident,  in  giving  the  slave 
moderate  correction." 

A  subsequent  clause  claimed,  as  the  property 
of  the  state,  the  -whole  territory  as  far  west  as 
the  Mississippi,  between  the  thirty-first  degree 
of  north  latitude  and  a  due  west  continuation  of 
the  northern  line  of  Georgia.  Other  clauses  fol- 
lowed, regulating  the  manner  by  which  such  ter- 
ritory might  be  sold,  and  enjoining  that  means 
should  be  provided  for  refunding  such  sums  as 
had  been  received  by  the  state  under  the  fraudu- 
lent Yazoo  contracts. 

Provision  was  made  for  amending  the  constitu- 
tion in  future  by  bills  for  that  purpose,  to  be 
passed  by  a  two-thirds  vote  in  both  houses  of  two 
successive  legislatures,  with  an  intervening  pub- 
lication for  at  least  six  months  prior  to  the  elec- 
tion of  the  members  of  the  second  legislature. 

During  the  years  1801-2,  many  rumours  had 
reached  the  government  which  led  to  a  suspicion 
that  France  intended  to  obtain  from  Spain  the 
retrocession  of  Louisiana,  and  perhaps  with  the 
addition  of  Florida  also. 

These  rumours  increasing,  instructions  were 
sent  to  the  American  ministers  at  Paris,  Madrid, 
and  London,  to  endeavour  to  defeat  the  cession. 
The  surrender  of  the  province  of  Louisiana,  how- 
ever, had  already  been  made  by  a  secret  treaty, 
dated  October  1st,  1800 ;  but  the  treaty  was  not 
to  take  effect  until  six  months  after  certain  stipu- 


308  HISTORY   OF  GEORGIA. 


lations  made  therein,  in  favour  of  Spain,  were 
complied  with. 

The  possession  of  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
by  a  friendly  hut  enterprising  nation  like  France 
was  a  matter  well  calculated  to  arouse  the  fears 
of  the  federal  government. 

"  This  state  of  things,"  wrote  Jefferson  to 
Livingston,  then  in  Paris,  "  completely  reverses 
all  the  political  relations  of  the  United  States, 
and  will  form  a  new  epoch  in  our  political  course. 
We  have  always  looked  to  France  as  our  natural 
friend — one  with  whom  we  could  never  have  an 
occasion  of  difference ;  but  there  is  one  spot  on 
the  globe  the  possessor  of  which  is  our  natural 
and  habitual  enemy.  That  spot  is  New  Orleans. 
France  placing  herself  in  that  door  assumes  to 
us  an  attitude  of  defiance.  The  day  that  France 
takes  possession  seals  the  union  of  two  nations, 
who,  in  conjunction,  can  maintain  exclusive  pos- 
session of  the  ocean.  From  that  moment  we 
must  marry  ourselves  to  the  British  fleet  and 
nation."  Much  more  was  added,  and  reasons 
given  why  the  French  government  should  con- 
sent to  the  transfer  of  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States  ;  or  if  not  the  whole  province,  at  least  the 
island  of  Orleans ;  suggestions,  which  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston was  instructed  to  make  in  a  way  not  to 
give  offence. 

Sentiments  so  strong  doubtless  had  their  effect 
in  pressing  to  a  final  issue  the  negotiations  which 


NEGOTIATIONS   FOR   LOUISIANA.  309 


succeeded.  The  difficulty  under  which  Livings- 
ton laboured,  however,  was  the  want  of  authority 
to  offer  any  particular  sum  for  the  territory,  so 
absolutely  required  for  the  safety  of  the  United 
States,  and  the  facilities  of  its  western  commerce. 

Livingston's  personal  application  to  Bonaparte 
met  with  no  favourable  response  until  the  appre- 
hension of  the  latter  was  quickened  by  the  ap- 
proach of  a  new  European  war.  On  the  llth  of 
April,  1803,  and  shortly  before  Monroe's  arrival 
at  Paris,  Livingston  was  requested  by  Talley- 
rand to  make  an  offer  for  the  whole  province  of 
Louisiana. 

The  government  of  the  United  States  had  con- 
templated the  purchase,  not  of  Louisiana  alone, 
but  of  Florida  also,  and  had  instructed  both  Mon- 
roe and  Livingston  to  that  effect ;  the  supposition 
at  the  time  being,  that  Spain  either  had  included 
or  would  include  both  provinces  in  her  cession  to 
France. 

The  highest  amount  authorized  to  be  paid  for 
the  whole  was  ten  millions  of  dollars.  If  France 
refused  to  entertain  negotiations  at  all,  the  mi- 
nisters were  instructed  to  open  a  correspondence 
with  Great  Britain,  with  the  view  of  preventing 
the  French  from  taking  possession  of  Louisiana, 
and  of  ultimately  securing  it  to  the  United 
States. 

The  price  asked  by  Bonaparte  for  Louisiana 
was  twenty  millions  of  dollars,  with  the  addition 


310  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


of  the  payment,  by  the  United  States,  of  the 
claims  of  American  merchants  recognised  by  a 
previous  convention. 

The  price  was  finally  agreed  upon  at  twelve 
millions  of  dollars,  and  the  discharge  by  the  home 
government  of  American  claims  upon  France  to 
the  extent  of  four  millions  more,  if  they  should 
amount  to  so  much. 

The  news  of  this  arrangement  was  received 
with  great  satisfaction  by  tho  president  and  his 
cabinet,  and  met  with  the  hearty  concurrence  of 
the  American  people.  Governor  Claiborne  was 
soon  after  appointed  governor  of  Louisiana  ter- 
ritory, and,  sailing  from  Natchez  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi, with  a  military  force  under  General 
Wilkinson,  and  a  large  body  of  emigrants,  took 
formal  possession  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans  on 
the  20th  of  December,  1803. 

No  longer  suffering  to  any  extent  from  the 
incursions  of  the  Indians,  nor  annoyed  by  the 
Spaniards  of  Louisiana,  Georgia  continued  to 
extend  her  population — which  had  doubled  its 
numbers  between  1790  and  1800 — over  portions 
of  the  state  hitherto  uninhabited.  Counties  were 
laid  off,  and  steadily  but  quietly  settled.  Towns 
and  villages  sprang  up  in  the  wilderness.  Out 
of  a  part  of  the  long-coveted  Oconee  lands  the 
county  of  Baldwin  was  laid  off  in  1803,  and  a 
site  for  the  town  of  Milledgeville  selected  by 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  legislature,  with 


HER   PROSPEROUS   CONDITION.  311 

the  view  of  making  it  the  capital  of  the  state,  as 
soon  as  the  proper  buildings  could  be  erected  for 
that  purpose.  This  took  place  in  1807,  in  which 
year  Milledgeville  became  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment. 

Nothing  material  interfered  to  disturb  the 
domestic  condition  of  Georgia  for  several  years. 
Her  citizens  had  indeed  suffered  under  pecuniary 
difficulties,  arising  from  excessive  speculation  in 
public  lands ;  but  this  condition  of  things  did  not 
attach  to  Georgia  alone ;  other  states  had  also 
suffered  from  the  same  cause.  The  operation  of 
what  were  termed  alleviating  laws  served  in  some 
measure  to  correct  the  temporary  embarrass- 
ments, and  the  recuperative  energies  of  an  indus- 
trious people  gradually  overcame  the  difficulty 
entirely.  But  if  the  local  government  was  work- 
ing smoothly  and  with  but  comparatively  few 
checks  or  annoyances,  such  was  not  the  case 
with  the  federal  government. 

The  foreign  relations  began  every  day  to  grow 
more  critical.  A  gallant  and  spirited  resistance 
to  the  aggressions  of  the  Bashaw  of  Tripoli  had 
ended  in  a  manner  honourable  to  the  American 
character. 

The  oppressive  acts  of  Great  Britain,  partly 
brought  on  by  the  war  between  that  nation  and 
France,  and  partly  arising  from  her  own  imperious 
determination  to  exercise  the  right  she  claimed 
of  searching  any  vessels  upon  the  high  seas  for 


312  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


deserters  who  might  be  suspected  of  being  Eng- 
lish subjects,  became  the  source  of  fierce  discus- 
sion among  all  classes  of  the  American  people. 

Many  English  seamen,  tempted  by  the  high 
rate  of  wages  offered  by  American  merchants, 
were  employed  in  our  commercial  marine.  The 
enormous  navy  maintained  by  England  required 
to  be  supported  by  constant  impressment ;  and, 
under  colour  of  seizing  her  own  citizens,  she  was 
in  the  habit  of  constantly  stopping  American 
merchantmen,  and  selecting  from  the  crews  such 
men  as  her  subordinate  officers  chose  to  consider 
subjects  of  Great  Britain,  but  who  were  frequently 
found,  subsequently,  to  be  native  American  citi- 
zens. For  this  high-handed  conduct,  redress  could 
very  rarely  be  obtained.  The  grievance  had  been 
the  subject  of  repeated  remonstrances  from  the 
period  of  the  administration  of  Washington  to 
the  opening  of  the  war ;  but  Great  Britain  as 
constantly  refused  to  abandon  the  exercise  of  a 
power  which  she  had  always  heretofore  claimed 
as  a  right. 

As  if  this  cause  of  complaint  was  not  enough 
to  revive  old  national  animosities — for  the  bitter 
hatred  engendered  by  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
had  not  yet  wholly  subsided — England  issued,  in 
1806  and  1807,  a  series  of  paper-blockades,  by 
which  most  of  the  French  ports  were  laid  under 
embargo,  and  American  vessels  bearing  French 
products  were  declared  lawful  prize.  France 


CONGRESS   DECLARES   WAR.  313 

retaliated  by  the  famous  Berlin  decrees,  which 
declared  the  British  Islands  in  a  state  of  blockade, 
and  all  neutral  vessels  trading  thither  lawful  prize. 

Both  decrees  were  equally  hostile  to  American 
commerce.  But  the  English  had  set  the  first 
example,  and  the  practical  operation  of-  their 
orders  in  council  was  far  more  destructive  than 
the  Berlin  and  Milan  decrees  of  Napoleon. 

One  thousand  American  vessels,  richly  laden, 
became  the  prize  of  the  British  cruisers ;  irri- 
tating causes  of  impressment  were  of  constant 
occurrence ;  the  attack  of  the  English  frigate 
Leopard  upon  the  Chesapeake  inflamed  to  the 
highest  degree  the  national  mind ;  the  language 
of  American  diplomacy  became  daily  more  angry 
and  impatient,  that  of  England  daily  more  cold 
and  haughty.  At  length,  endurance  was  worn 
out,  and  on  the  18th  of  June,  1812,  the  American 
Congress  declared  war. 

The  unhappy  differences  so  long  existing  be- 
tween England  and  the  United  States  could  not 
fail  to  have  a  marked  effect  upon  the  Indian 
tribes  whose  lands  were  bounded  by  the  British 
possessions  in  Canada.  The  turbulent  spirit  of 
the  northwestern  Indians  soon  communicated 
itself  to  those  of  the  south. 

Tecumseh,  the  celebrated  Shawnee  chief,  whose 
own  wild- and  lofty  eloquence  was  sustained  by 
the  mysterious  power  acquired  by  his  brother 
the  prophet,  stimulated  the  Indian  tribes  to  unite 

27 


314  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 

into  one  vast  confederacy,  and,  as  allies  of  Eng- 
land, revenge  upon  the  people  of  the  United 
States  their  long-continued  encroachments  upon 
Indian  soil. 

Already  renowned  as  a  warrior,  famous  for 
his  wonderful  powers  as  an  orator,  and  distin- 
guished above  all  others  by  his  relentless  hatred 
of  the  Americans,  his  presence  among  the  various 
tribes  was  the  sure  precursor  of  secret  prepara- 
tions for  hostilities. 

After  having  held  repeated  conferences  with 
the  British  at  Detroit  in  the  spring  of  1812,  Te- 
cumseh,  attended  by  a  chosen  band  of  thirty 
warriors,  left  the  territory  of  the  northwest,  and, 
moving  rapidly  southward,  penetrated  the  coun- 
try as  far  down  as  Florida,  where  he  succeeded 
in  inducing  the  Seminoles  to  join  his  standard. 
Returning  thence,  he  entered  the  Creek  country 
in  the  month  of  October,  and  immediately  com- 
menced his  intrigues  with  the  chiefs.  By  the 
time  he  reached  Coosawda,  he  had  gained  many 
followers.  Colonel  Hawkins,  the  federal  agent, 
was  at  this  period  holding  a  grand  council  at 
Tookabatcha,  at  which  five  thousand  warriors 
were  assembled.  Tecumseh  boldly  repaired  to 
that  place,  and  marched  into  the  square  at  the 
head  of  his  party,  hideously  painted  and  adorned. 

While  Hawkins  remained,  Tecumseh  declined 
addressing  the  Indians  on  the  subject  of  his  mis- 
sion ;  but  the  agent  had  no  sooner  departed  for 


TECUMSEH.  315 

his  residence  upon  the  Flint,  than  a  grand  council 
was  held  in  the  great  round-house. 

Here  Tecumseh  poured  forth  his  passionate 
and  heart-stirring  appeal.  Deriving  his  powers 
from  his  brother  the  Prophet,  whose  extraordinary 
commission  and  endowments  were  well  under- 
stood, his  authority  was  regarded  with  the  highest 
veneration.  He  earnestly  entreated  them  to 
refuse  all  intercourse  with  the  whites,  to  throw 
aside  the  implements  and  clothing  obtained  from 
so  hateful  a  source,  and,  abandoning  agriculture, 
to  return  again  to  their  primitive  condition  of 
hunters  and  warriors.  After  seeking  by  bursts 
of  fiery  eloquence  to  rouse  their  animosity  against 
the  Americans,  he  gave  additional  weight  to  his 
designs  by  assuring  them  of  aid  and  support  from 
the  King  of  England,  their  ancient  friend  and 
ally,  whose  wealth  and  power  he  represented  as 
without  limits,  and  quite  sufficient  for  the  subju- 
gation of  the  United  States. 

A  prophet  who  accompanied  Tecumseh  next 
spoke.  He  eulogized  the  mission  of  the  latter, 
and  assured  all  those  who  were  willing  to  join 
the  war  party  that  no  harm  should  befall  them, 
even  in  battle ;  that  the  Great  Spirit  would  pro- 
tect them,  and  bring  confusion  upon  the  Ameri- 
cans ;  and  that  every  Georgian  would  be  expelled 
from  the  soil  as  far  as  the  Savannah. 

So  extraordinary  an  influence  did  these  daring 
and  eloquent  discourses  exert  over  the  minds  of 


316  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


many,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  the  most  turbu- 
lent of  them  could  be  restrained  from  taking  up 
arms  at  once,  and  committing  depredations  on  the 
exposed  frontiers. 

This  hasty  measure,  however,  Tecumseh  repre- 
sented as  calculated  to  defeat  the  great  plan  of 
operations  which  he  was  labouring  to  concert; 
and  enjoined  the  utmost  secrecy  and  quietness 
until  the  moment  should  arrive,  when,  all  their 
preparations  being  ready,  they  might  be  able  to 
strike  a  decisive  blow.  In  the  mean  time,  they 
were  to  be  industriously  employed  in  collecting 
arms  and  ammunition,  and  other  necessaries  of 
war. 

In  this  manner  Tecumseh  with  his  wild  follow- 
ers held  conferences  in  the  numerous  towns  of 
the  Creek  territory,  gaining  many  proselytes, 
and  meeting  with  but  occasional  opposition  from 
those  chiefs  who  either  feared  the  consequences 
of  an  outbreak,  or  were  stipendiaries  of  the 
federal  government. 

Having  ordained  Josiah  Francis,  a  half-breed, 
chief  prophet  of  the  whole  Creek  nation,  whose 
word  was  to  be  regarded  as  infallible,  and  whose 
directions  were  to  be  implicitly  followed,  Tecum- 
seh next  established  a  regular  gradation  of  sub- 
ordinate prophets  to  disseminate  his  doctrines 
through  the  different  parts  of  the  nation,  and 
then,  attended  by  a  few  of  his  proselytes,  set  out 
for  his  own  tribe. 


INDIAN   HOSTILITIES.  317 


From  this  time  a  regular  communication  was 
kept  up  between  the  Creeks  and  the  northern 
tribes  in  relation  to  the  great  enterprise  which 
they  were  concerting  together ;  while  the  parties 
carrying  it  on,  growing  daily  more  insolent  and 
unmanageable,  committed  frequent  depredations 
and  murders  upon  the  frontier  settlements. 

These  outrages  became  at  length  so  numerous 
as  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  federal  govern- 
ment. Colonel  Hawkins,  the  Indian  agent,  de- 
manded the  punishment  of  the  murderers ;  and 
some  of  the  chiefs  who  were  desirous  of  preserv- 
ing their  friendly  relations  with  the  United 
States,  despatched  a  party  of  warriors  to  put  the 
criminals  to  death.  No  sooner  was  this  done, 
than  the  spirit  of  the  greater  part  of  the  nation, 
which  from  motives  of  policy  had  hitherto  been 
in  a  great  measure  suppressed,  suddenly  burst 
through  all  restraint,  and  arrayed  the  peaceful 
and  the  hostile  Indians  against  each  other  in  a 
civil  war. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  conceive  in  what  manner 
hostilities  thus  provoked  were  gradually  extended 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  Indian  territory,  and,  as 
a  measure  of  retaliation,  fell  upon  the  white 
population  of  the  frontiers. 

The  war  with  Great  Britain  was  also  at  this 
period  at  its  height ;  and  Georgia  was  not  found 
wanting,  either  in  patriotism  toward  the  country 
at  large,  or  in  defence  of  her  own  population. 

27* 


318  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


Volunteers  flocked  from  all  quarters,  many  of 
whom  attached  themselves  to  the  army  of  General 
Floyd,  and  assisted  to  gain  that  splendid  series 
of  victories  over  the  Indians  by  which  General 
Andrew  Jackson  has  rendered  his  name  distin- 
guished in  history. 

The  early  successes  of  the  British  arms  in 
Canada  were  more  than  counterbalanced  by  the 
naval  triumphs  achieved  upon  Lake  Erie  and 
upon  the  ocean ;  by  the  rout  of  the  combined 
British  and  Indian  forces  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames,  where  the  fierce  Tecumseh  fell ;  by  the 
repulse  of  the  British  before  Baltimore,  which 
atoned  for  the  disastrous  retreat  of  the  militia  at 
Bladensburg,  and  the  occupation  of  the  capital ; 
by  the  successes  of  Jackson  against  the  southern 
Indians,  and  by  the  crowning  glory  of  the  war, 
the  battle  of  New  Orleans. 

Happily  for  both  countries,  the  war  was  not  of 
long  duration.  It  was  closed  by  the  treaty  of 
peace  signed  at  Ghent,  on  the  26th  of  December, 
1814,  and  formally  ratified  by  the  United  States 
on  the  17th  of  February,  1815. 

Nothing  of  peculiar  importance  arrested  the 
progress  of  Georgia  for  the  next  seven  years. 
The  delays  and  impediments  which  had  constantly 
arisen  in  relation  to  the  entire  extinguishment  of 
the  Indian  title  to  lands  as  guarantied  to  Geor- 
gia in  1802  by  her  compact  with  the  federal 
government,  induced  the  legislature  of  1823  to 


TREATY  WITH  THE  INDIANS.      319 

require  of  Governor  Troupe  to  use  his  exertions 
to  bring  the  matter  to  a  speedy  termination. 

He  accordingly  opened  a  correspondence  with 
the  secretary  of  war,  which  resulted  in  a  com- 
mission to  Duncan  G.  Campbell  and  James  Meri- 
wether,  two  distinguished  Georgians,  to  treat  with 
the  Creek  Indians.  A  council  was  accordingly 
held  in  December,  1824,  at  Broken  Arrow,  on 
the  Chattahoochee ;  but  the  negotiation  failed, 
owing,  it  was  alleged,  to  the  adverse  influence 
exerted  by  the  agents  of  the  United  States. 

Early  in  February,  1825,  the  commissioners 
again  met  the  Indians  in  council  at  the  Indian 
Springs,  and  on  the  12th  of  that  month  succeeded 
in  concluding  a  treaty  with  the  chiefs  then  pre- 
sent, which  was  subsequently  transmitted  by 
President  Monroe  to  the  senate,  and  by  that 
body  solemnly  ratified,  notwithstanding  a  strong 
protest  against  it  by  Crowell,  the  Indian  agent. 

In  May,  1825,  an  extra  session  of  the  legisla- 
ture was  called  by  Governor  Troupe,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  providing  for  the  immediate  survey  of  the 
land  acquired  by  the  late  treaty.  An  act  was 
passed  accordingly,  and  in  connection  with  it,  a 
strong  resolution  was  adopted  calling  upon  the 
president  to  remove  Crowell,  the  Indian  agent, 
from  office,  as  the  enemy  of  Georgia,  and  as 
faithless  to  his  government. 

John  Quincy  Adams  had  in  the  mean  time 
succeeded  Mr.  Monroe  as  President  of  the  United 


320  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


States.  He  declined  removing  the  agent,  but 
instituted  an  inquiry  into  his  conduct.  He  ap- 
pointed a  clerk  of  bureau  for  that  purpose,  and 
at  the  same  time  commissioned  Major-general 
Gaines  to  repair  to  Georgia,  suppress  the  disorders 
already  arisen  in  the  Indian  nation,  and  compose 
its  dissensions. 

The  presence  of  these  high  functionaries  by  no 
means  tended  to  smooth  the  asperities  of  Georgia. 
A  bitter  feud  then  existing  between  two  great 
parties  in  the  state — though  mainly  on  personal 
grounds — increased  the  agitation  of  the  public 
mind.  General  Gaines  allied  himself  with  the 
party  in  opposition  to  Governor  Troupe,  and,  in 
conjunction  with  the  clerk  of  bureau,  reported 
against  the  treaty,  the  merits  of  which  neither 
of  them  had  been  instructed  to  inquire  into.  A 
very  exciting  correspondence  now  ensued  between 
the  executive  of  Georgia  and  the  federal  govern- 
ment. A  survey  was  determined  on  by  the 
former,  and  prohibited  by  President  Adams. 
Troupe  demanded  the  recall  and  court-martial  of 
General  Gaines,  as  the  legislature  had  previously 
requested  the  removal  of  Crowell.  The  president 
retained  both  in  their  respective  offices.  All 
Georgia  was  now  in  a  ferment.  A  new  election 
for  governor  took  place  soon  after,  and  the  course 
of  Troupe  was  sustained  by  the  votes  of  the  peo- 
ple. Even  the  legislature,  although  opposed  to 
the  governor  in  both  branches  on  mere  party 


IMPENDING   DANGERS.  321 

politics,  resolved,  that  "full  faith  ought  to  be 
placed  in  the  treaty ;  that  the  title  of  Georgia 
under  it  was  vested  and  absolute ;  and  that  the 
right  of  entry  immediately  on  the  expiration  of 
the  time  limited  by  it  should  be  insisted  on  and 
carried  into  effect."  They  again  required  the 
removal  of  the  federal  agent,  which  was  again 
rejected. 

Affairs  between  the  state  and  general  govern- 
ment were  now  speedily  approaching  a  serious 
issue.  In  January,  1826,  Governor  Troupe  issued 
his  orders  for  the  militia  to  be  divided  into  three 
classes,  and  expressed  his  belief  that  the  general 
officers  could  not  find  themselves  indifferent  to 
the  crisis  in  which  the  country  was  placed.  The 
federal  government  had  already  assembled  on 
the  Chattahoochee  and  Flint  a  force  of  four  hun- 
dred regulars,  and  the  peace  of  the  union  seemed 
every  day  in  danger  of  being  disturbed  by  that 
most  deplorable  of  all  evils — a  civil  war. 

In  this  emergency,  a  new  treaty  was  made  with 
certain  Creek  chiefs  at  Washington  on  the  24th 
of  January,  1826,  which,  while  it  annulled  the 
treaty  of  1825,  ceded  to  Georgia  nearly  all  the 
land  covered  by  the  old  treaty,  and  extended  the 
time  of  surrender  to  the  1st  of  January,  1827. 

But  Georgia  would  accept  nothing  less  than 
the  conditions  of  the  previous  treaty.  In  July, 
1826,  commissioners  were  appointed  to  run  the 
line  as  laid  down  by  the  contract  of  1802.  As 


322  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


soon  as  this  was  accomplished  the  survey  was 
commenced,  and  met  with  no  resistance  from  the 
federal  government  until  February,  1827,  when 
the  president  ordered  those  surveyors  to  be  ar- 
rested who  should  overstep  the  boundary  laid 
down  in  the  late  treaty  at  Washington.  Governor 
Troupe  immediately  retaliated  by  directing  the 
proper  legal  officers  of  Georgia  to  bring  to  jus- 
tice, by  indictment  or  otherwise,  all  the  parties 
who  might  be  concerned  in  arresting  the  survey- 
ors ;  and  sent  orders  to  the  major-generals  of  the 
sixth  and  seventh  divisions  of  militia,  to  hold 
their  commands  in  readiness  to  repel  any  hostile 
invasion  of  the  state. 

This  energetic  opposition  had  its  effect.  The 
surveyors  were  not  arrested;  the  surveys  were 
completed ;  and  the  entire  domain  covered  by  the 
old  treaty  was  organized  and  disposed  of  by  lot- 
tery in  1827. 


SOIL   OF   GEORGIA.  323 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  soil  of  Georgia — Tide-swamp  lands — Sea  Islands — Swamp 
lands  of  the  Savannah,  Alatamaha,  Ogechee,  and  the  Great 
St.  Ilia — Character  of  the  soils  in  the  middle  regions  of  the 
state — Lands  in  south-western  Georgia — Cherokee  Georgia 
• — The  gold  region — Railroads — Cotton  manufactories — Fi- 
delity of  Georgia  to  the  Union — Sends  volunteers  to  Florida 
— Mexico — Conclusion. 

THE  natural  quality  of  the  soil  in  Georgia  is 
very  variable.  The  general  poverty  of  the  pine 
lands  gave  rise  at  an  early  day  to  an  impression 
that  a  great  proportion  of  the  land  in  the  pro- 
vince was  infertile.  As  population  increased,  it 
was  found  that  the  tide-swamp  lands  on  the 
southern  frontier  of  the  state  would  yield,  with 
fair  cultivation,  immense  quantities  of  rice,  which 
constituted  then,  as  it  does  now,  one  of  the  staple 
productions  of  Georgia.  For  the  finer  descrip- 
tions of  cotton,  the  Sea  Islands  have  long  been 
famous,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  tide- 
swamp  lands  of  the  Savannah,  the  Alatamaha, 
the  Ogechee,  and  the  great  St.  Ilia,  are  now  con- 
sidered as  among  the  most  valuable  soils  in  the 
state.  The  inland  swamps  are  also  very  produc- 
tive, but  they  labour  under  the  disadvantage  of 
a  preater  uncertainty  in  regard  to  their  crops. 

In  the  middle  region  of  the  state,  the  soil  is  of 


324  HISTORY   OF    GEORGIA. 

a  rich  red  loamy  character,  producing  cotton, 
tobacco,  and  all  the  grains.  A  careless  system 
of  husbandry  has  done  much  to  impoverish  this 
healthy  and  beautiful  region,  but  with  increase  of 
intelligence,  new  and  better  modes  of  cultivation 
are  being  introduced,  and  the  prospects  are  fa- 
vourable to  a  restoration  of  these  choice  lands 
to  their  original  fertility. 

In  the  southwestern  portions  of  the  state,  there 
are  large  bodies  of  very  superior  land.  In  the 
counties  of  Randolph,  Decatur,  and  Early,  and  in 
other  sections  between  the  Chattahoochee  and  the 
Flint,  lands  are  to  be  found  of  inexhaustible  fer- 
tility, producing  every  thing  which  the  comfort 
or  necessity  of  man  requires.  In  Cherokee  Geor- 
gia there  are  also  large  bodies  of  fertile  land. 
The  valleys  of  Chattooga,  Cass,  Floyd,  and  Mur- 
ray, are  exceedingly  rich,  producing  wheat,  corn, 
potatoes,  and  other  vegetables;  but  are  not  so 
well  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  the  cotton  planter 
as  the  soils  of  the  middle  region.  In  Oglethorpe 
county  there  are  bodies  of  land  which  have  been 
cultivated  for  more  than  half  a  century,  and 
which  still  produce  seven  and  eight  hundred 
pounds  of  cotton  to  the  acre. 

The  northwestern  part  of  the  state  is  the  gold 
region  of  Georgia,  which,  from  its  richness  and 
extent,  is  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  the 
primary  rock  formation.  Its  western  boundary 
is  the  western  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  "  The  rich- 


THE   GOLD   MINES.  325 

est  deposits  are  found  occupying  a  belt  along  the 
eastern  slope  of  that  range  of  mountains,  varying 
in  width  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles ;  but  gold 
has  been  discovered  at  various  points  one  hundred 
miles  to  the  east  of  it,  as  far  as  Columbia  county, 
and  thence  in  a  line,  nearly  parallel  to  the  prin- 
cipal belt,  to  Alabama.  The  gold  is  found  in 
both  vein  and  deposit  mines.  In  the  former  it 
generally  occurs  in  quartzose  veins,  running 
through  rocks  of  gneiss,  mica  schist,  talcose 
schist,  and  chlorite  schist.  The  quartz  forming 
the  veins  is  usually  of  a  cellular  structure,  gene- 
rally discoloured  by  iron,  and  with  the  cavities 
more  or  less  filled  with  a  fine  yellow  ochre.  The 
gold,  which  varies  much  in  the  size  of  its  particles, 
is  found  either  in  small  scales,  (its  most  usual 
form,)  in  the  cavities  or  the  fissures  of  the  quartz, 
or  in  the  yellow  ochre,  or  in  combination  with  the 
sulphurets  of  iron,  of  copper,  and  of  lead,  or 
united  with  silver.  It  sometimes,  but  rarely, 
exists  in  the  adjoining  schistose  rocks. 

"  The  deposit  mines  are  of  alluvial  formation, 
obviously  produced  by  the  washing  down  of  the 
detritus  of  the  auriferous  veins  into  the  adjoining 
valleys.  The  schistose  rocks,  which  are  of  a 
more  perishable  character,  having  crumbled  away, 
and  left  the  quartz  veins  exposed,  the  latter  have 
fallen  down  from  a  want  of  support,  and  have 
been  swept  by  torrents  into  the  valleys  below. 
The  quartz  pebbles,  and  the  harder  portions  of 

28 


326  HISTORY  OF  GEORGIA. 


the  including  rocks,  and  the  gold,  being  heavy, 
would  be  deposited  at  the  bottom  of  the  streams, 
and  would  occur  in  the  greatest  quantity  when 
there  were  the  greatest  inequalities.  The  lighter 
materials  would  at  first  be  swept  down  to  a  lower 
point,  or  be  deposited  along  the  borders  of  the 
streams ;  but,  with  a  change  of  the  beds  of  the 
streams,  or  a  diminution  of  their  velocity,  these 
materials  would  gradually  accumulate  over  the 
original  beds  of  pebbles  and  gold,  and  the  valleys 
would  ultimately  present  the  appearance  which 
they  now  do,  of  a  stratum  of  several  feet  of  allu- 
vial loam  covering  another  of  water-worn  pebbles 
of  quartz  and  schist,  containing  particles  of  gold, 
the  whole  resting  on  an  original  bed  of  schistose 
rocks,  similar  in  constitution  and  dip  to  those  of 
the  surrounding  hills.  The  quartz  pebbles  are 
usually  flattened  on  the  sides,  indicating  their 
compression  in  the  veins,  and  are  more  or  less 
water-worn,  as  they  have  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
period  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  currents 
of  water." 

The  first  discovery  of  gold  in  this  state  was 
made  on  Duke's  Creek,  Habersham  county,  in 
1829.  The  mass  weighed  three  ounces.  After 
this,  discoveries  were  rapidly  made  in  all  direc- 
tions from  Carolina  to  Alabama,  and  some  of  the 
mines  were  immensely  rich.  The  gold  obtained 
for  the  first  few  years  was  from  the  alluvion  of 
the  streams ;  after  which  many  diluvial  deposits 


HER   GOLD   MINES.  327 

were  found,  and  subsequently  many  rich  veins. 
The  gold  in  the  veins  is  generally  imbedded  in 
sulphuret  of  iron  in  quartz,  sometimes  in  quartz 
alone,  and,  in  a  few  instances,  in  micaceous  and 
talcose  slate,  the  auriferous  pyrites  being  inter- 
spersed in  minute  crystals  through  the  slate.  The 
first-mentioned  class  are  common,  and  abound 
everywhere,  running  parallel  with  the  formation 
of  the  country,  the  general  direction  of  which  is 
northeast  and  southwest,  corresponding  with  the 
Alleghany  chain  of  mountains.  These  veins  are 
usually  enclosed  in  micaceous  or  talcose  schist, 
some  in  chlorite  and  hornblende,  rarely  in  gneiss 
or  granite.  In  some  instances  the  root  of  the 
vein  is  slate,  and  the  floor  granite  or  gneiss. 
The  decomposition  of  the  different  strata  varies 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet,  and  decreases  as 
you  near  the  mountains,  where  the  overlying 
rocks  terminate,  and  the  veins  cease  to  be  auri- 
ferous. A  few  veins  have  been  found  which 
traverse  the  formation  in  which  they  are  enclosed, 
and  in  every  instance  the  gold  is  found  to  contain 
from  fifteen  to  sixty-six  per  cent,  of  silver,  whereas 
all  parallel  veins  are  alloyed  with  copper,  from 
one-eighth  to  one-fortieth,  and  without  a  trace  of 
silver.  Of  the  former  class  is  the  Potosi  mine, 
in  Hall  county,  which  runs  northwest  by  west,  is 
one  foot  wide,  (average,)  and  was  immensely  rich 
in  pockets.  The  first  cropped  out  and  extended 
about  twelve  feet  deep  by  fifteen  laterally,  yield- 


328  HISTORY   OF   GEORGIA. 


ing  over  ten  thousand  pennyweights.  Some  ten 
feet  from  that,  another  pocket  occurred,  much 
richer,  the  gold  being  enclosed  in  felspar,  with 
octahedral  crystals  of  quartz  radiating  from  it 
without  a  particle  of  gold.  These  veins  are  evi- 
dently of  comparatively  recent  formation.  Ore 
which  yields  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel  is  con- 
sidered profitable,  provided  the  veins  are  large 
enough  to  furnish  abundantly,  and  there  is  no 
extra  expense.  Where  there  is  much  water  it 
requires  expensive  machinery,  and  the  ore  must 
be  rich,  and  the  vein  of  considerable  size,  to  jus- 
tify it.  Many  mines  have  and  do  yet  yield  much 
more — from  fifty  to  one  hundred  cents  per  bushel, 
and  a  few  even  more,  even  reaching  to  several 
hundred  dollars  per  bushel.  Of  such  are  the 
Calhoun  and  Battle  Branch  veins,  and  also  the 
celebrated  1052  mine  near  Dahlonega.  These 
are  technically  called  pocket-veins,  as  the  gold  is 
found  in  limited  portions  of  them,  the  rest  with- 
out any.  The  greatest  depths  yet  reached  do  not 
exceed  eighty  feet  below  the  water-level,  nor  more 
than  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  below  their  out- 
crop ;  whereas,  in  the  old  world,  they  have  gone 
more  than  two  thousand  feet.  We  consequently 
can  form  no  opinion  relative  to  their  productive- 
ness. Generally  the  mines  are  abandoned  as  soon 
as  the  water  appears ;  the  operators  being  men 
of  but  little  capital,  and  ignorant  of  the  proper 
mode  of  working  below  the  water-level.  Another 


RAILROADS  AND   MANUFACTURES.         329 

and  more  powerful  reason  is,  that,  with  but  few 
exceptions,  the  veins  become  poorer  as  you  de- 
scend, and  below  the  water  very  poor. 

The  mode  of  working  the  mine  or  ores  is  by 
amalgamation.  The  ore  is  first  reduced  to  pow- 
der, either  wet  or  dry,  by  the  action  of  stamps  or 
pestles,  weighing  from  one  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred pounds ;  after  which  it  passes  through  dif- 
ferent-sized screens  or  grates,  and  then  through 
various  amalgamating  machines,  by  which  the 
quicksilver  is  made  to  take  up  the  particles  or 
dust  of  gold,  forming  an  amalgam,  which  is  dis- 
tilled in  a  retort,  saving  the  quicksilver  for  further 
use,  and  the  mass  of  gold  is  melted  in  a  crucible 
into  bars  or  ingots  for  coining.  Its  average  fine- 
ness is  twenty-three  carats.  From  the  best  in- 
formation received,  the  amount  obtained  from 
1829  to  1838  was  sixteen  million  pennyweights, 
and  from  that  time  until  1849  four  million; 
every  year  diminishing,  notwithstanding  the  great 
improvements  in  machinery  and  increased  practi- 
cal knowledge. 

But  the  future  prosperity  of  Georgia  is  not  so 
much  assured  by  the  production  of  her  gold- 
bearing  regions,  or  the  operations  of  her  indus- 
trious agriculturists,  as  by  her  wise  and  well- 
regulated  system  of  railroads,  and  the  admirable 
provision  by  which  she  has  of  late  years  encou- 
raged manufactures  generally,  an4  in  an  especial 
manner  those  for  the  fabrication  of  cotton-cloths 

28* 


330  HISTORY   OP   GEORGIA. 


— a  branch  of  business  for  which  the  state  is  ad- 
mirably adapted,  from  her  immense  facilities  in 
the  way  of  water-power. 

Already,  there  are  railroads  stretching  from 
Savannah  to  the  Tennessee  line,  with  branch 
roads,  either  finished  or  in  contemplation,  to 
Augusta,  Athens,  Atlanta,  Macon,  and  Columbus ; 
and  in  various  portions  of  the  state  admitting  of 
such  a  purpose,  cotton-mills  have  been  for  a  long 
time  in  successful  operation. 

These  facilities  for  the  transportation  of  staple 
productions,  joined  to  the  creation  of  a  home- 
market,  will  gradually  tend  more  and  more  to 
develop  the  latent  resources  of  Georgia,  and 
place  the  industrial  position  of  the  state  upon  a 
firm  and  indestructible  basis. 

True  to  the  Union,  notwithstanding  her  occa- 
sional difficulties  with  the  federal  government, 
she  encouraged  her  sons  to  volunteer  their  ser- 
vices in  those  harassing  campaigns  in  Florida, 
where  the  oozy  bivouacs  and  the  pestilential 
miasma  of  the  everglades  were  far  more  destruc- 
tive to  human  life  than  the  weapons  of  the  Semi- 
noles.  In  the  recent  war  with  Mexico,  also,  the 
brave  yeomanry  of  Georgia  were  among  the  fore- 
most to  respond  to  the  call  of  their  country,  and 
were  honourably  distinguished  by  the  prompt  and 
gallant  ardour  with  which  they  performed  their 
various  and  responsible  duties. 


CONCLUSION.  331 


And  here  we  bring  this  volume  to  a  close,  hav- 
ing been  careful  to  omit  no  fact  of  importance, 
and  to  present  as  many  points  of  interest  in  the 
narrative  as  strict  truth  to  history  would  allow. 




The  authorities  mainly  relied  upon  in  this  work 
have  been  McCall's  History  of  Georgia,  Pickett's 
History  of  Alabama,  White's  Statistics  of  the 
State  of  Georgia,  and  Hildreth's  History  of  the 
United  States. 


THE   END. 


STEREOTTPED  BY  L.  JOHNSON  AHD  CO. 

PHILADELPHIA. 


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405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

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from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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